Module 02 Risk and Material hazards

Hello Health and safety todays topic is Risk and Material Hazards.

Did you know toxic chemicals have the ability to cause harmful health effects? These effects can strike a single cell, a group of your cells, an organ in your body or your entire body.  All chemicals have the potential to cause damage. When a small amount is harmful the chemical can be considered toxic.[i] The toxicity of a substance depends on three factors, its chemical structure, the extent to which the chemical can be absorbed by your body, and your bodies ability to detoxify a substance. (Original authors were Jon Rosenberg) Or change it to a less toxic substance and eliminate it from your body.

A chemical is determined to be hazardous depending on several factors, one is the toxicity or how much of the substance is required to cause harm. The second is the route of exposure or how the substance enters your body.

Another determining factor is dose. You can think of a dose as how much chemical enters your body. An example could be an over the counter prescription.

Another factor is the duration of length of time you have been exposed.

Exposure

So, let’s talk about exposures. An acute reaction will occur almost immediately, or soon after the exposure.  This often involves a high exposure or a large dose over a short period of time. For example: let’s say a worker uses ammonia to clean a lens in a lighting fixture. Ammonia can cause throat or eye irritation. Higher concentrations can cause serious lung damage. But if a chronic exposure occurs; this usually happens over a long period of time Or long after an exposure ends. This is considered a long latency. These experiences often involve low exposures or small and repetitive dosages over a long period.

Unfortunately, chronic effects are still unknown for many years and they are unknown for many chemicals. Most chemicals have not been tested in experimental animals for cancer or reproductive effects. It may be difficult to establish the relationship between chemical exposure and illness because of the long delay or latency period.

Toxins

There are cumulative toxins, those slow to leave your body. An example of one is lead.

And noncumulative toxins those fast to eave your body. An example would be alcohol.

So, let’s talk about routes of exposure. How can chemicals enter your body? Exposure usually occurs through inhalation, skin or eye contact or ingestion.

Inhalation

Inhalation is when you breathe a substance into the lungs. Your lungs consist of branching airways, call bronchi. With clusters of tiny air sacks called alveoli. The end of your airways. The alveoli absorb oxygen and other chemicals and deliver it to the blood stream.

Air quality is a serious issue in industrial settings where dust can affect our sinuses, lungs, and our entire respiratory system with potentially very serious consequences. Understanding the differences in dust particles and tie different kinds of filters available to you is essential in maintaining a safe working environment.

There are three basic categories of dust; respirable, thoracic and inhalable. Each type of dust exists in the air we breathe. The only difference between them is the diameter of the dust particle. Respirable particles are under ten microns in diameter. Thoracic are under twenty-five microns in diameter. And inhalable dust particles are under 100 microns in diameter. The dust samplings vary depending on the type of dust be evaluated.

To get the idea of just how small these particles are; if you lined up twenty-four thousand one-micron particles in a row. They would measure one inch in length. The inhalable dusts you breath in through your mouth. It ends up in your, mouth, nose and sinuses. Thoracic dust ends up in your throat below those areas. And the respirable dust, which is the smallest, will land in the alveoli, and end up in your blood stream.

Skin Contact

“Your skin is a protective barrier that helps keep foreign chemicals out of the body. However, some chemicals can easily pass through the skin and enter the blood stream. If the skin is cut or cracked chemicals can penetrate more easily through the skin. Also, corrosive substances such as acids and alkali’s (a base that dissolves in water) can chemically burn the skin. Others can irritate the skin. May chemicals, particularly organic solvents dissolve the oil in the skin, leaving it dry, cracked and susceptible to infection and then absorption of the chemicals you are handling.” (Original authors were Jon Rosenberg)

Eye Contact

Some chemicals may burn or irritate the eye. The eyes are easily harmed by chemicals. So any eye contact with chemicals, particularly liquids should be taken as a serious incident. (Original authors were Jon Rosenberg)

Ingestion

Chemicals can be ingested if they are left on hands, clothing or when accidentally contaminating food, drinks or cigarettes. metal dusts such as lead or cadmium, are often ingested this way. (Original authors were Jon Rosenberg) Also particles trapped in nasal or lung mucus might be swallowed.

Total Body Burden

“Every day we are bombarded with toxic compounds. The air we breathe. Water we drink. The food we eat. And even the homes we live in. All have some level of toxic contamination. It is the unavoidable nature of our industrialized world. You cannot eliminate every point of exposure. But you can reduce it and control it.”[1]

Multiple Exposures

So let us talk about exposures.

Additive

An additive effect can be defined as when one chemical adds to the toxic effects of another.

For example if several chemicals are similar in their toxic effects, the outcome is likely to be similar to a large dose of one chemical.

Synergistic

But, what happens when two chemicals combine to produce a synergistic effect? This is when two chemicals combine and they produce an affect that is greater than the total of each alone. The result of the chemical combination could be life threatening. This kind of interaction is called synergism. An example of synergism is the increase risk of developing lung cancer by smoking and working with asbestos. Researcher’s found that people who smoke and have asbestos exposure are between fifty to ninety times more likely to develop lung cancer. [2]

Mutations

Mutations are often caused by chemicals that alter the genetic blueprint.  So, if toxic chemicals are also causing genetic damage in the genetic material of a cell, which consists of DNA; which by the way organizes your genes and chromosomes. Each individuals DNA contains information that tells the cell how to function. And how to form new cells. If a mutation takes place, the chemicals damage those genes and chromosomes. The changed cell is called a mutation. Anything that causes a mutation can also be referred to as  a mutagen. Mutations can effect the way the cell functions or reproduces. Mutations can also be passed on to cells formed by the damaged one. This leads to groups of cells that do not function. Or reproduce the way the original cell did before the mutation occurred.  Some types of these mutations result in cancer. [3]

Carcinogen

A Carcinogen is a substance directly involved in causing cancer. As of 2008 there are about 500 chemicals consider carcinogenic in humans by the environmental protection agency.[4] Determining the causes of cancer in humans is very complex. There is usually a long latency period twelve to twenty-five years for most tumors. Between the start of the exposure to the carcinogen and a diagnosis of cancer. It may be many years before enough people are exposed to a chemical, and long enough for researchers to see a pattern of the increased cancer cases.[5] It is often difficult to determine if any increase in cancer in humans is due to exposure of a particular substance since exposure may have occurred many years before and people unfortunately are exposed to many difference substances.

Managing your risk

I suggest you be knowledgeable. Read the safety data sheet of any chemicals’ you choose to use. Keep a list of the materials you use. Determine how long you were exposed and how often you were exposed. Make a plan of how toxic you think the materials are. And, know yourself. Are you a member of a high-risk group? Moreover, are you developing any symptoms?

Occupational illness

According to the borough of labor statistics, an occupational illness is a injury or illness that is considered by occupational safety and health administration (OSHA) to be work related. So if an event or an exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a pre-existing condition. Then it is an occupational illness.

Case Study

I found a case study online I wanted to tell you about. A man in his thirtys’ who had smoked a pack of cigarettes a day since his mid-teens was working as a MIG welder at a company fabricating steel racks for auto parts. He developed symptoms of wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath at work. A few months after beginning the job.  These symptoms became worse during the workday, and through the workweek. He was eventually was treated at the emergency room several times for acute shortness of breath. The Michigan Occupational Health and Safety Administration initiated an inspection after the Hospital diagnosed and submitted an occupational disease report regarding his work related lung condition. It was determined there was no local exhaust ventilation in the welding area. Although general supply and ventilation were operational. Air sampling was performed and it was determined that three of the four samples exceeded the eight hour time weighted average limit of 5mg/m3 for total welding fume particulate. The company was cited for overexposure of welding fumes and the lack of a respiratory protection program.  Additionally twelve welders at the facility completed a confidential medical questionnaire during the inspection. Three reported being bothered at work daily or weekly with breathing symptoms’. In addition to the citation the report recommended that local exhaust ventilation be installed and that the welders be provide periodic medical testing.

So let’s look at the facts that contributed to his illness. Smoking negatively affected his total body burden.  On the job hazards such as fumes from the welding bay became an additive or even synergistic event that produced the negative outcome. But what is going to happen in his life time? Could he begin to develop mutagen cells that turn cancerous? His choice to use a carcinogen everyday will probably end his life prematurely.

You need to start today to make good choices to avoid the welder’s potential path of self-destruction. Be aware of the chemicals you come in contact with at home and work. Our best defense, research materials, avoid exposures, use personnel protection equipment and always read the safety data sheets before you use any chemicals at work.

References

“NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 Feb. 2011, www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2005-149/default.html.

FootNotes Below

[1] Dr. Edward Group DC, NP, DACBN, DCBCN, DABFM. “What is Body Burden?” Dr. Group’s Healthy Living Articles, Global Healing Center, Inc, 5 May 2015, www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/what-is-body-burden/.

[2] Chicago

“Asbestos & Smoking – Mesothelioma Risks From Smoking Cigarettes.” Mesothelioma Center – Vital Services for Cancer Patients & Families, www.asbestos.com/asbestos/smoking/.

[3] “Resources for the Public.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 26 Apr. 2016, https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/emes/public/

[4] “Chemicals and Toxics Topics.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 5 June 2017, https://www.epa.gov/environmental-topics/chemicals-and-toxics-topics

[5] “HESIS,  Occupational Health Branch California Department of Public Health”, https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DEODC/OHB/HESIS/CDPH%20Document%20Library/introtoxsubstances.pdf, 26 Nov. 2017.

[i] “UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR.” Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 26 Nov. 2017, www.osha.gov/SLTC/hazardoustoxicsubstances/.