VGDF (Vapours, Gases, Dusts, Fumes)
The term vapours, gases, dusts & fumes (VGDF) describes a group of inhalation hazards that are known to increase the risks of certain respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). In other words, VGDF represents a mixture of harmful airborne agents present in the workplace, such as mineral dusts and toxic gases/fumes. VGDF does not have a single occupational exposure limit or other maximum exposure, and will not represent a uniform exposure. VGDF exposure represents an overall exposure to inhaled respiratory hazards. VGDF may be identified in self-reported questionnaires, job exposure matrices, or other qualitative or semi-quantitative measures of inhalational hazards.
Lungs don’t process each individual exposure separately, but are processing the overall cumulative exposure. When exposed to aVGDF mixture, our lungs process different respiratory irritants simultaneously and the lungs experience toxic effects of the agents in an additive manner (sometimes multiplicative). In cases where different agents contained in the VGDF have the same target organ, it’s appropriate to apply a “mixture” calculation to the occupation exposure monitoring.
