Exposure to chemicals

J. Santodonato and co-workers. Monograph on Human Exposure to Chemicals in the Work Place Styrene, PB86—155132, Syracuse, N.Y., July 1985. 

H. K. Dillon and M. H. Ho, Biological Monitoring of Exposure to Chemicals Metals, John Wiley Sons, Inc., New York, 1991. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulates the exposure to chemicals ia the workplace. From the poiat of view of the inorganic pigments iadustry, the limits estabUshed for lead and cadmium exposure are particularly important. A comprehensive lead standard adopted by OSHA ia 1978 has been successful ia reduciag the potential for lead contamination ia the workplace. 

Another way to evaluate risks is to calculate the sensitivity of the total risk estimates to changes in assumptions, frequencies, or consequences. Risk analysts tend to be conservative in their assumptions and calculations, and the cumulative effect of this conservatism may be a substantial overestimation of risk. For example, always assuming that short-term exposure to chemical concentrations above some threshold limit value will cause serious injury may severely skew the calculated risks of health effects. If you do not understand the sensitivity of the risk results to this conservative assumption, you may misallocate your loss prevention resources or misinform your company or the public about the actual risk. 

Exposures to chemicals may involve solids, liquids, or airborne matter as mists, aerosols, dusts, fumes (i.e. pm-sized particulates), vapours or gases in any combination. Many situations, e.g. exposure to welding fumes or to combustion products from fossil fuels, include mixtures both of chemicals and of physical forms. Quantification of exposure is then difficult. 

Exposures to chemicals, resulting in toxic effects or oxygen-deficient atmospheres, may arise in a variety of industrial situations. A summary of common sources is given in Table 5.18 clearly this is not exhaustive since exposure may result whenever materials are mixed, machined, heated, dispersed or otherwise processed or used. 

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. 

Observing the partner for signs of adverse exposure to chemical, physical, or radiological hazards... 

TQXiGITY AND RISKS INDUCED BY OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS... 

Occupational and environmental exposure to chemicals can take place both indoors and outdoors. Occupational exposure is caused by the chemicals that are used and produced indoors in industrial plants, whereas nonoccupa-tional (and occupational nonindustrial) indoor exposure is mainly caused by products. Toluene in printing plants and styrene in the reinforced plastic industry are typical examples of the two types of industrial occupational exposures. Products containing styrene polymers may release the styrene monomer into indoor air in the nonindustrial environment for a long time. Formaldehyde is another typical indoor pollutant. The source of formaldehyde is the resins used in the production process. During accidents, occupational and environmental exposures may occur simultaneously. Years ago, dioxin was formed as a byproduct of production of phenoxy acid herbicides. An explosion in a factory in... 

Anthropologic features of humans, their physical activities, ventilation capacities, and the state of their circulation all affect exposure to chemical compounds. Some of the physiological determinants of exposure will be dealt with below. Exercise typically increases cardiac output, facilitates circulation, increases the minute volume of ventilation, is associated with vasodilation of the skin circulation, and increases perspiration and secretory activity of the sweat glands. All of these changes tend to facilitate the absorption of chemicals through multiple routes. 

As stated earlier, inhalation is the main route of absorption for occupational exposure to chemicals. Absorption of gaseous substances depends on solubility ifi blood and tissues (as presented in Sections 2.3.3-2.3.5), blood flow, and pulmonary ventilation. Particle size has an important influence on the absorption of aerosols (see Sections 2.3.7 and 3.1.1). 

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