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Toxicology
Published in Aruna Bakhru, Nutrition and Integrative Medicine, 2018
Occupational toxicology involves the study of adverse effects of a large number of metals and chemicals found in the workplace. Single exposures can and do produce permanent impairment or even death. These are termed acute events and in such cases the concentration is usually high. At lower doses, insidious effects can occur with temporary or permanent damage. These are termed chronic effects. The toxicologist is involved with both of these patterns.
Determination of Toxicity
Published in David Woolley, Adam Woolley, Practical Toxicology, 2017
The way in which tests are conducted is influenced by a raft of legislation, aiming to protect workers from occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals and, in animal facilities, to allergens and diseases originating from the test system itself. Regulation for the workplace is provided by the requirements of health, safety, and environmental control, which are present in many jurisdictions around the world. These regulations are aimed at protecting the workers involved in the testing or production of new chemicals, and are the object of occupational toxicology. With some new medicines having therapeutic activity in microgram amounts, the protection of the workforce becomes of paramount importance, even if some of the purpose is slightly cynical and aimed at the avoidance of litigation.
Descriptive epidemiology of clinically significant occupational poisonings, United States, 2008–2018
Published in Clinical Toxicology, 2021
John W. Downs, Brandon K. Wills, Kirk L. Cumpston, S. Rutherfoord Rose
References listing common occupational poisons often include agents that were observed decades prior to the introduction of worker protective laws and regulations. Students of the allied occupational health and safety fields will likely receive their introductory occupational toxicology training on “classical” occupational poisons such as metals and occupational carcinogens resulting from chronic exposures. A review of common occupational health reference texts will likely find chapters dedicated to occupational toxicology listed simply as “metals,” “chemicals,” “solvents,” gases,” or “pesticides.” Prior discussions of occupational poisonings still refer to the poisons established by Ramazzini and Hamilton as the core of occupational toxicology knowledge [1]. Undoubtedly, the knowledge of the occupational poisons in these references will form an excellent basis for the study of occupational toxicology, but an understanding of more contemporary causes of occupational poisonings could inform future occupational toxicology references and curriculum. Roughly 30 years ago with the advent of computerized databases, Blanc et al. attempted to categorize the occupational poisonings reported to United States poison control centers [2–4]. Current causes of work-related acute poisonings have not been characterized and little recent information has been published noting the contemporary causes of work-related acute poisonings. As such, this study’s primary objective was to describe the most common poisons and routes of exposure responsible for clinically significant occupational poisonings occurring within the last decade. A secondary objective was to determine the crude rate of clinically significant occupational poisonings and occupational poisoning-related deaths over the study period.