Mechanical hazards, definition

Fault tree analysis is based on a graphical, logical description of the failure mechanisms of a system. Before construction of a fault tree can begin, a specific definition of the top event is required for example the release of propylene from a refrigeration system. A detailed understanding of the operation of the system, its component parts, and the role of operators and possible human errors is required. Refer to Guidelines for Hazard Evaluation (CCPS, 1992) and Guidelines for Chemical Process Quantitative Risk Assessment (CCPS, 2000). 

At first sight, then, complex mechanical setups as we propose for semicon-tinuous or continuous freeze-drying seem susceptible to serious hazards in the sterility control of the operation. However, this is not as dramatic as it looks since the essential part of the process—if not the entire process—is carried out automatically and can be done entirely within a sterile environment by remote control. Indeed, today highly sophisticated automation can be achieved if we resort to the advanced technologies developed for the nuclear industry and profit by the experience of their operators. However, this sophistication will definitely bear on the cost and this can be a serious drawback for conventional low-priced products. 

This paper has examined the theoretical and experimental basis for the existence of different mechanisms of carcinogenic activity of chemicals within the context of the basic definition of what constitutes a carcinogenic hazard. Examined in this way, the mechanism of carcinogenic action of a chemical may encompass exposure, cell dynamics and gene activation as interrelated parts of the process of oncogenesis. The balance of these effects, or segments, of the mechanistic process define the potential carcinogenic activity of a chemical. Yet, as complex and incompletely understood in toto as this... 

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