Respiratory ailments

Hydrogen concentration in air at each of five levels in a 13.3 X 13.5-ft blockhouse following spillage of 65 liters of liquid hydrogen. 

In addition to the health hazards noted in the above paragraphs, several others should be considered in designing a safe cryogenic facility. These are specific for particular fluids and their vapors. For example, the highly reactive oxidizers, fluorine and ozone, produce severe burns when they contact the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes. Further, they react violently with most common materials even at ordinary temperatures. A brief resume of specific eflfects is given in Appendix 2 (Safety Data Sheets) for each of the fluids considered here. 

Many combustibles have an anesthetic effect on the body ethylene has been used as a general anesthetic for a number of years. In addition, various low-temperature substances have been used in the past to obtain local anesthetic action. Low temperatures have also been used to retard infections on the other hand, oxygen-enriched atmospheres accelerate the growth of many infectious substances. 

Bigelow, W. T. Mustard, and J. G. Evans, Some Physiologic Concepts of Hypothermia and Their Applications to Cardiac Surgery, Journal of Thoracic Surgery, 28 463, 1954. 

Douglas H. K. Lee, Heat and Cold Effects and Their Control, Public Health Monograph No. 72, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1964, p. 14. 

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Plants and animals rely on oxygen for respiration. Hospitals frequently prescribe oxygen for patients with respiratory ailments. 

Personnel Selection and Training. The quaHty of operating personnel is of paramount importance to the safe operation of a chemical plant. Operators must be intelligent and emotionally stable. Excessive use of alcohol and dmgs affects reHabiHty and can thereby render workers more susceptible to certain types of toxic exposure. Thorough medical screening is essential to avoid damaging exposures to susceptible individuals, eg, people with respiratory ailments should not be employed in areas where corrosive atmospheres could occur. 

Persons with existing heart or respiratory ailments should reduce physical exertion and outdoor activity. 

Exposure to sulfur dioxide in the ambient air has been associated with reduced lung function, increased incidence of respiratory symptoms and diseases, irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, and premature mortality. Children, the elderly, and those already suffering from respiratory ailments, such as asthmatics, are especially at risk. Health impacts appear to be linked especially to brief exposures to ambient concentrations above 1,000 ixg/in (acute exposures measured over 10 minutes). Some epidemiologic studies, however, have shown an association between relatively low annual mean levels and excess mortality. It is not clear whether long-... 

Examine health reeords in your plant. Organize these by work areas and assess whether there are statistically higher ineidents that support respiratory ailments, including cold and flu statistics. If the data supports a particular work area as having a problem, can you identify the reasons If so, what are they and how would you go about better defining the problem and a solution ... 

Concentrated hydrochloric acid is highly corrosive. Hydrochloric acid is primarily a concern in its aerosol form. Acid aerosols have been implicated in causing and exacerbating a variety of respiratory ailments. Dermal exposure and ingestion of highly concentrated hydrochloric acid can result in corrosivity. There is currently no evidence to suggest that this chemical is carcinogenic. 

Certain areas are unusually susceptible to air pollution disasters. One during 1930, in the Meuse Valley of Belgium, caused the premature death of over 60 people. Another in 1948 at Donora, Pa., caused 20 deaths. A third resulted in the deaths of 22 people at Poza Rica, Mexico. The greatest occurred Dec. 5-9, 1952, in London, England. Over 4,000 people are estimated to have died from respiratory ailments as a result of the smog. Each of these occurred in an industrial valley at the time of a temperature inversion.16... 

Because asthma symptoms vary throughout the day, relying on the presence of an attack or even just on the presence of a respiratory ailment to diagnose asthma is flawed logic. 

While it is possible that these symptoms were due to exposure to 3,3 -dichlorobenzidine hydrochloride, the irritant effects of HCl from the compoimd in combination with particulate toxicity could have been responsible for the observed effects in these studies. Therefore, it is not likely that respiratory ailments will occur in humans exposed to 3,3 -dichlorobenzidine at hazardous waste sites. 

Respiratory ailments associated with wood dust exposure include irritation, bronchitis, nasal mucociliary stasis, impairment of ventilatory function, and asthma. 

In addition to its usage in the treatment of respiratory ailments, coltsfoot is also used to treat diarrhea, purify the blood, stimulate metabolism, cause diuresis and swelling, and topically as a wound treatment. Today, products containing coltsfoot are promoted as antihistamines, decongestants, and expectorants. 

It contains glycyrrhizic acid, is 50 times sweeter than sugar, and can accelerate the healing of gastric ulcers. Licorice treats such respiratory ailments as bronchitis and asthma and is an ingredient in herbal cough medicines. Glabridin inhibits inflammation of skin. 

Although it is mainly used in social situations throughout Africa and the Middle East, khat is sometimes used by farmers and laborers to alleviate fatigue, by students to improve concentration before exams, and by the elderly to improve cognitive function. In Ethiopia, khat advocates claim that the plant eases symptoms of diabetes, asthma, and intestinal tract disorders. The processed leaves and roots are used to treat influenza, cough, other respiratory ailments, and gonorrhea. 

Pharmacists in France, England, and the United States regularly marketed heroin as an excellent pain killer and a cure for disease, including respiratory ailments and diarrhea. 

Introduction and Statement of Problem. Current techniques to remove particulates in coal fired power plant flues are based on electrostatic precipitators, bag houses, cyclones and wet scrubbers. Typical collection efficiencies of such devices and the far less efficient cyclones are shown in Figure 1 (J,). Of interest is the fact that below 1 micrometer the efficiencies drop off rather precipitously. Work presented by Davies ( ), Figure 2, has shown that the human lower pulmonary system is unfortunately most efficient in absorbing and retaining particles in the 1 micrometer range. These particles are the primary cause of such respiratory ailments as bronchitis, emphysema and lung cancer. 

Ephedrine is isolated from ma huang, an herb used to treat respiratory ailments in traditional Chinese medicine. Once a popular drug to promote weight loss and enhance athletic performance, ephedrine has now been linked to episodes of sudden death, heart attack, and stroke. 

Adverse health effects that have been noted as the result of vog produced by active Hawaiian volcanoes include acid-triggered irritation of the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, and throat), increased asthma, respiratory distress, increased susceptibility to respiratory ailments, headaches, watery eyes, and lack of energy (Sutton et al, 1997). These problems... 

As for the sources of contamination from air which are likely to cause respiratory ailments, the primary contributor is fungicide sprays containing copper sulfate solutions (24), Another major source is copper mines and copper industries, where copper concentration in the environment may reach as high as 1% (J3). A most recent contributor to serious copper exposure in the female is the copper-containing intrauterine contraceptive device (25,26,27),... 

Carcinogens Many aromatic compounds, particularly benzene, toluene, and xylene, were once commonly used as industrial and laboratory solvents. However, tests have shown that the use of such compounds should be limited because they may affect the health of people who are exposed to them regularly. Health risks linked to aromatic compounds include respiratory ailments, liver problems, and damage to the nervous system. Beyond these hazards, some aromatic compounds are carcinogens, which are substances that can cause cancer. 

Respiratory ailments, recent exposure to cholinesterase inhibitors, impaired cholinesterase production, or liver malfunction may potentiate the toxicity of dimethoate. Also, high environmental temperatures or exposure of dimethoate to light (visible or UV) may enhance its toxicity. 

If released to the atmosphere, o-limonene is expected to rapidly undergo gas-phase oxidation reactions with photochemically produced hydroxyl radicals, ozone and, at night, with nitrate radicals. Limonene can react with ozone, forming submicron particulates that could impact asthmatics and those with other respiratory ailments. 

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