China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Occupational Hygiene Assessments for the Use of Protective Gloves
Published in Robert N. Phalen, Howard I. Maibach, Protective Gloves for Occupational Use, 2023
Risk characterization is based on both the hazard characterization and the exposure. For example, the greatest hazard of working in a refinery is the danger of fire and explosion. Major fire is an extremely rare event (very low frequency), but the severity is so great that most companies are willing to go to great lengths and expenses to protect against it. This has included the mandated use of fire-resistant clothing by all workers as well as other measures. Another example of severe health effects is dimethyl mercury. Several drops over a hand wearing a disposable latex glove had been fatal.7 On the other hand, gasoline is universally recognized as a hazardous compound. It is extremely flammable and toxic. It contains a wide range of organic constituents, some of which probably exhibit skin permeability, toxicity, and carcinogenicity (e.g., benzene). Most would not argue these points, yet few of us use gloves when putting gasoline into our cars even though they are provided at most gasoline pumps. Even the gas station attendants in the few remaining nonself-service stations rarely use gloves. There are probably several reasons why gloves are not worn, including the matter of convenience. Nevertheless, a key aspect is that we consider the secondary contact (i.e., contact from the dispensing nozzle, not the actual fluid) and frequency of exposure to represent a trivial risk. This personal risk assessment is also greatly aided by the fact that gasoline is a familiar product with which almost everyone has had some experience. Nevertheless, we generally apply more stringent risk characterization at work.
M
Published in Anton Sebastian, A Dictionary of the History of Medicine, 2018
Mercury Poisoning Common cause of necrotizing nephrosis. Anuria was first observed by Ulrich von Hutton (1488–1523) in 1519. Mercury poisoning in goldsmiths was described by Bernadini Ramazzini (1633–1714) in his treatise on occupational diseases in 1700. Adolf Kussmaul (1822–1902) described loss of teeth, stomatitis and reddening of the pharynx (Kussmaul sign) in mercurial poisoning. Hatter’s shakes or mercurial tremor were observed in workers in industry who constantly dipped hats in mercuric nitrate in the 18th century. Organic mercurial compounds were used in chemical research in 1863, and two research workers at St Bartholomew’s Hospital died as a result of their research with dimethyl mercury in 1866. Diethyl mercury injections used as treatment for syphilis in Germany in 1887, were abandoned due to toxicity. Mercurial compounds as fungicidal seed dressings for cereal led to several cases of poisoning. Sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate was introduced as an antidote by Rosenthal in 1934. See mercury.
Metallic poisons *
Published in Bev-Lorraine True, Robert H. Dreisbach, Dreisbach’s HANDBOOK of POISONING, 2001
Bev-Lorraine True, Robert H. Dreisbach
Mercury and its salts are used in the manufacture of thermometers, felt, paints, explosives, lamps, electrical apparatus, and batteries. The diethyl and dimethyl mercury compounds are used in treating seeds. Mercurous chloride (calomel) and organic mercurials were formerly used medicinally.
Niacin prevents mitochondrial oxidative stress caused by sub-chronic exposure to methylmercury
Published in Drug and Chemical Toxicology, 2020
Lílian Cristina Pereira, Eloisa Silva de Paula, Murilo Pazin, Maria Fernanda Hornos Carneiro, Denise Grotto, Fernando Barbosa, Daniel Junqueira Dorta
Mercury (Hg) is a well-known environmental pollutant that induces severe toxicological effects in biological systems (Stacey and Kappus 1982). The extent of damage varies according to Hg dosage, level of exposure to Hg, and Hg chemical form, but all Hg forms can be toxic (Roos et al.2012). Humans and animals can be exposed to different Hg chemical forms in the environment, including elemental Hg vapor (Hg0), inorganic Hg (i-Hg; mercurous ion [Hg+], and mercuric ion [Hg2+]), and organic Hg compounds like ethylmercury, methylmercury (MeHg), and dimethylmercury (Clarkson 2002, Bernhoft 2012). Humans can also be exposed to Hg through the use of medicinal products containing HgS, such as popular Tibetan medicines for sedation (Li et al.2016), cosmetics, and skin-lightening creams (Borowska and Brzóska 2015, Agorku et al.2016).
History of Modern Clinical Toxicology
Published in Clinical Toxicology, 2022
Focusing on modern clinical toxicology and its growth since the 1950s, History of Modern Clinical Toxicology is the most recent edition of the History of Toxicology and Environmental Health Series from Elsevier’s Academic Press. Through detailed reviews, Dr. Alan Woolf, along with the section editors and chapter authors, highlight many of the key events that helped shape the field over the past 70 years. This book serves as an excellent compendium for Medical Toxicologists, Specialists in Poison Information, fellows, residents and anyone interested in the field’s history. Divided into 6 sections, the edition begins describing modern toxic calamities including “Ginger Jake,” methylmercury poisonings in Japan and Iraq, the Seveso dioxin disaster, and the consequences seen from arsenic in tube well water in Bangladesh, among others. The second section goes on to review the 1937 United States sulfanilamide disaster, gasping syndrome, the effects of thalidomide, the political poisonings of Yushchenko and Markov, Tylenol(R) cyanide poisonings and the dimethylmercury death of Professor Wetterhahn. Together, these sections emphasize the importance of being vigilant, as poisoning can be rapid or insidious, intentional or accidental. This edition continues by reviewing the discovery of selected modern antidotes, including N-acetylcysteine, fomepizole, methylene blue, dimercaprol, pralidoxime, naloxone, physostigmine, and cyanide antidotes, and discussing their roles in modern therapeutics. Additionally, three sections are dedicated to clinical toxicology and poison control and poison information around the globe. These sections describe historical differences and current methodologies seen within poison control in the United States, Asia and Australia as well as poison information in Europe, Scandinavia and Israel. This edition also highlights professional societies from their humble beginnings to their current impact on supporting the infrastructure of poison control and poison information centers.