Personal hazards disease prevention

In most situations, adequate, usuaHy forced, ventilation is necessary to prevent excessive exposure. Persons who drink alcohol excessively or have Hver, kidney, or heart diseases should be excluded from any exposure to carbon tetrachloride. AH individuals regularly exposed to carbon tetrachloride should receive periodic examinations by a physician acquainted with the occupational hazard involved. These examinations should include special attention to the kidneys and the Hver. There is no known specific antidote for carbon tetrachloride poisoning. Treatment is symptomatic and supportive. Alcohol, oHs, fats, and epinephrine should not be given to any person who has been exposed to carbon tetrachloride. FoHowing exposure, the individual should be kept under observation long enough to permit the physician to determine whether Hver or kidney injury has occurred. Artificial dialysis may be necessary in cases of severe renal faHure. 

Education, simple rules of personal hygiene and safe food preparation can prevent many diarrheal diseases. Hand washing with soap is an effective step in preventing spread of illness. Human feces must always be considered potentially hazardous. Immunocompromised persons, alcoholics, persons with chronic liver disease and pregnant women may require additional attention, and health care providers can play an important role in providing information about food safety. These populations should avoid undercooked meat, raw shellfish, raw dairy products, French-style cheeses and unheated deli meats [114]. 

Primary prevention pertains to actions that are taken before disease develops. The first line of defense against toxin-induced disease is the recognition that specific exposures are hazardous this distinction is based on either prior human experience or experimental evidence. Recognized hazards may then be eliminated from the environment through substitution, through engineering controls, or through personal protective equipment. 

Consumed in moderate amounts, sucrose poses no health hazards to humans or other animals. Eating excessive amounts of sucrose, however, is related to a number of health problems, most important, dental caries (tooth decay) and obesity. Sucrose is an important factor in the development of tooth decay because it provides the primary nutrient needed by bacteria living in the mouth. Cleaning one s teeth regularly is the best single way of preventing dental caries caused by the consumption of sucrose. Obesity is a problem that develops when a person consumes more foods than needed for normal healthy body function. When those foods are not utilized by the body, they are stored as fatty deposits, resulting in obesity and a number of health problems related to it, such as diabetes and heart disease. 

---