Chemical Exposures: Low Levels and

Chemical Exposures Low Levels and High Stakes, Second Edition (New York John Wiley Sons, 1998)]. He s an attorney and an engineer at MIT. Claudia Miller is a physician at the University of Texas. They re both high-profile professionals. We d be remiss not to take them seriously. They point out in their book this illness cuts across demographic groups, it cuts across economic class, it cuts across race, it cuts across gender. 

Ashford, Nicholas, and Claudia Miller. Chemical Exposures Low Levels and High Stakes, Second Edition, New York John Wiley C Sons, Inc., 1998. 

Chemical Exposures Low Levels and High Stakes, Second Edition. Nicholas A. Ashford and Claudia S. Miller. New York John Wiley Sons, Inc., 1998. Reviews the medical data on MCS. Addresses causes of MCS, health effects associated with chemicals and foods, possible physiological mechanisms, diagnostic approaches, recent developments in research and recognition, an Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory. Written by an MIT professor, and a physician and assistant professor at the University of Texas. 

Toxicity . (1) The measure of the adverse effect exerted on the human body by a poisonous material. (2) A relative property of a chemical agent with reference to a harmfirl effect on some biological mechanism and the condition under which this effect occurs. The quality of being poisonous. Ashford NA, Miller CS (1997) Chemical exposures low levels and high stakes. John Wiley and Sons, New York. 

Ashford NA, Miller CS (1997) Chemical exposures low levels and high stakes. John Wiley and Sons, New York... 

Toxic Substance n A substance that demonstrates the potential to induce cancer, to produce short and long term disease or bodily injury, to affect health adversely, to produce acute discomfort, or to endanger life of man or animal, resulting from exposure via the respiratory tract, skin, eye, mouth or other routes in quantities which are reasonable for experimental animals or which have been reported to have produced toxic effects in man (Ashford NA, Miller CS (1997) Chemical exposures low levels and hihg stakes. Wiley, New York). 

A major source of confusion contributing to the debate on the safety of pesticide residues in food, and low-level exposure to environmental chemicals, is the relationship between a chemical exposure or dose and the observed effect. Some pesticides to which we are exposed in our fruit and vegetables are capable of causing harm to humans if given in high enough quantities. This is usually limited to occupational exposure where high toxic doses may actually be encountered. If the need for statistical analysis to rule out chance effects is the first scientific tenet that forms the cornerstone of our modern science-based medicine, the dose-response relationship is the second. 

Carbon disulfide is widely used in production of rayon, carbon tetrachloride, rubber chemicals and cellulose film, and is a by-product of widely used dithiocarbamate pesticides. Chronic low level and long term exposure to CS2 can cause eye, ear, cardiovascular, nervous system and reproductive effects (Tan et al., 2001), (WHO Criteria 10, 1979), (Kaloyanova, 1981). There are scientific reports that the long term exposure to low concentrations of CS2 is related to endocrine disturbances as well (Lancranian I. et al., 1972) (Lyubomirova K. et al., 2006). Carbon disulfide is mostly used in viscose industry to yield sodium cellulose xanthate from alkali cellulose. (Tan et al., 2001). 

RADS, as described above, requires the onset of symptoms within 24h of exposure to a high concentration of individual chemical or mixture. Some researchers have reported the onset of RADS following repeated low-dose exposures to respiratory irritants and have labeled the phenomenon low-dose RADS [50,95]. Low-dose RADS apparently bridges the gap between RADS, caused by one-time exposure, and OA, caused by chronic exposures to affecting chemicals. These observations should not be surprising, since the chemicals known to induce OA and RADS are the very same species that differ only in concentrations of exposure. Low-level RADS causation may be considered as being due to middle-level exposures to such chemicals. 

Health and Safety Factors. The Material Safety Data Sheets provided by the suppUers should be consulted for each product. In general, products are aqueous emulsions with low levels of toxicity. Products with high solvent content have mostly been eliminated. Personnel handling the chemicals should always avoid contact of the products with skin and eyes, and avoid exposure to vapors if the product contains volatile components. 

The threshold for toxic injury is not the same for everyone because sensitivity varies greatly among individuals. Most chemicals in consumer products remain untested for health effects, such as cancer, reproductive problems, and the impacts of long-term, low level exposure. How these substances affect women, children, and people with existing conditions is also little studied. Once a person s defenses have been broken down and he or she has become hypersensitive, a wide variety of common chemical exposures can trigger a reaction. Just what products and other chemicals which cause problems varies greatly among affected individuals. 

Chronic Health Effect A chronic health effect is an adverse health effect resulting from long-term exposure to a substance. The effects could be a skin rash, bronchitis, cancer, or any other medical condition. An example would be liver cancer from inhaling low levels of benzene at your workplace over several years. The term is also applied to a persistent (months, years, or permanent) adverse health effect resulting from a short-term (acute) exposure. Chronic effects from long-term exposure to chemicals are fairly common. Recognize the PEL (permissible exposure level) for each substance in your workplace and minimize your exposure whenever possible. 

The chances are generally not die same. Exposure depends on both die amount of clicinical exposure and die frequency of chemical exposure. Repealed exposure to low levels of a mix of chemicals may be linked to liealdi problems. However, a single incident at a higher level, if below a toxic direshold, may not be linked to liealdi problems. 

Cellulose acetate (CA), which is of poor chemical stability, tends to hydrolyze over time, is subject to biological attack, and can operate at only a limited pH range of 3.0 to 6.5 at 0 to 30 °C. It is widely available at low cost and is tolerant of continuous low-level chlorine exposure, such as is found in many city waters. 

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