Transcript Toxicology Unit

Toxicology Unit
UNIT #2 – ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
What major Health Hazards do we face?

People face the following health hazards in their everyday lives:

Biological – pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, protozoa, fungi, etc.

Chemical – toxic and harmful chemicals found in air, water, soil and food.

Physical – natural disasters such as fire, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods

Cultural – unsafe working conditions, driving, crime, poverty, drugs, sex, etc.

A risk is defined as the probability of suffering harm from a hazard

Businesses, governments, and even individuals sometimes create a risk
assessment and management plan in order to help identify and mitigate
potential hazards. Many insurance companies require these to be completed
regularly in order to maintain coverage; particularly for high-risk clients.

Risk assessment – use of statistical methods to estimate how much harm a particular
hazard can cause to human health or to the environment.

Management Plan – Includes risk assessment, comparative analysis to other risks, risk
reduction strategies and financial commitment outline.
Risk Assessment and Management Plan
Management Plan
Risk Assessment
Comparative Risk Analysis
Hazard Identification
How does it compare with other
risks?
What is the hazard?
Probability of risk
How likely is the event?
Risk Assessment
guides the
Management Plan
Risk Reduction Strategy
How will the risk be reduced? By
how much should it be reduced?
Consequences of risk
Financial Commitment
What is the likely damage?
How much money will it cost? Who
is responsible for the cost?
Risk Assessment & Management Plan (RAMP) Template
Purpose: Why is this being done?
(RAMP) Example and Templates
Hazard
Probability
Name & Type
Low, med, hi
Biological
Biological
Chemical
Chemical
Physical
Physical
Cultural
Cultural
Consequence
What could happen?
Comparative Risk
Is there a safer alternative?
Risk Reduction Strategy
Exactly what will you do to lower
your risk?
Cost
How much? Who
pays?
Professional (RAMP) Examples and
Templates

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommended RAMP
template

South Australia Consumer and Business Services example

RAMP process for a liquor license

The Office of the Secretary for Preparedness and Response within
the US Department of Health and Human Services template
How do we perceive and avoid risks?

Become a better risk taker:

Carefully evaluate news reports – recognize that the media often give an
exaggerated view of risks to capture our interest in order to sell a product.

Compare risks – Is the danger great enough for you to worry about it? How does this
risk compare with the alternatives? Don’t ask yourself “Is it safe?” but rather, “How
risky is it compared to other risks?”

Concentrate on the most serious risk to your life and health over which you have
some control – Stop worrying about smaller risks and those over which you have no
control. When worrying about something; ask yourself “Do I have any control over
this?”
How do we perceive and avoid risks?

We can reduce the major risks we face by becoming informed, thinking
critically about risks, and making careful choices

The greatest risks are associated with:

Poverty – over 11 million die annually as a result of malnutrition and disease resulting
from lack of resources. Those living in poverty tend to die 7-10 years early.

Gender – Males on average die 7.5 years earlier than women.

Lifestyle Choices – Tobacco use kills over 440,000 Americans each year.

Best way to reduce risks associated with lifestyle choices is to:

avoid smoking and exposure to smoke

lose excess weight

reduce consumption of foods containing cholesterol and saturated fats

eat a variety of fruits and vegetables

exercise regularly, drink little or no alcohol, avoid excess sunlight

practice safe sex
What types of Biological Hazards do we
face?

A Nontransmissible disease is caused by something other than living organisms
and does not spread from one person to another.

An infectious disease is caused by a pathogen such as a bacterium, virus, or
parasite that invades the body and multiplies in its cells and tissues.

A large-scale outbreak of an infectious disease in an area or country is called
an epidemic; and a global epidemic is called a pandemic.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) the global death rate from
infectious diseases decreased by about two-thirds between 1970 and 2000.

The percentage of children in developing countries immunized with vaccines to
prevent tetanus, measles,
diphtheria, typhoid fever,
and polio increased from
10% to 84% - saving about
10 million lives each year.

It costs about $30 to get a
basic package of vaccines
to a child
What types of Biological Hazards do we
face?

In terms of death rates, the most serious infectious diseases are:

Flu – anyone with a low immune system may be deathly affected by this virus

AIDS – kills about 3 million people each year

Diarrhea – poorly filtered drinking water

Malaria – 40% of world’s population at risk – mosquito carries the parasite
Most of these diseases occur in developing countries (low-income)
How would you Vote?
Should developed and developing nations (like the US) mount an urgent global
campaign to reduce the spread of HIV and help countries afflicted by the disease?
What types of Chemical Hazards do we
face?

There is a growing concern about chemicals that can cause cancer and
disrupt the human immune, nervous, and endocrine systems.

A toxic chemical is defined as one that can cause temporary or permanent
harm or death to humans and animals.

There are three (3) major types of toxic agents:

Mutagen – chemical or radiation that cause mutations to DNA molecules


Teratogen – chemical that cause harm or birth defects to a fetus or embryo


Nitrous acid (HNO2) found in many processed foods has been linked to stomach cancer
Ethyl alcohol is a teratogen (beer, spirits, etc.)
Carcinogen – chemical, radiation, or virus that can cause or promote cancer

Many cancer tumors spread by metastasis – when a malignant cell breaks off from tumors
and travel in body fluids to other parts of the body.
Any synthetic or natural chemical can be harmful if ingested in a large enough quantity.
What types of Chemical Hazards do we
face?

Almost everyone is exposed to potentially toxic chemicals that have built up to
trace levels in their blood and other parts of the body.

Even polar bears in the Arctic have the same trace levels of toxins

Some research supports the BENEFITS of having some “toxic chemicals” such as
arsenic – this is called hormesis

The truth is: there just isn’t enough solid research data to make conclusions
about the toxicity of chemicals.

Scientists Use Live Laboratory Animals to Estimate Toxicity

A chemical’s median lethal dose (LD50) is the dose that kills 50% of the animals
(usually rats and mice) in a test population with in an 18-day period

Animals tests can take 2-5 years and cost as much as $2 million per substance tested

Scientists use acute toxicity tests to develop a dose-response curve which shows
responses of a group of test animals to various dosages of a toxic agent.
What types of Chemical Hazards do we
face?

Indoor Air Pollution is considered by experts to be a higher-risk human health problem
than outdoor air pollution.

Common pollutants can be as much 100 times higher in residential and commercial
buildings than found outdoors.

Pollution levels inside cars in traffic-clogged urban areas can be as much as 18 times
higher than outside levels

The Health risk from exposure is magnified in the US where we spend as much as 98%
of our lives indoors.

Common chemical hazards found around the home:

Chloroform – found in Chlorine-treated water in tap water – linked to cancer

Nitrogen Oxides – Unvented gas stoves and kerosene heaters – Can irritate lungs and
cause headaches

Asbestos – pipe insulation, vinyl ceiling and floor tiles – linked to lung disease and cancer

Styrene – found in carpets and plastics – can cause kidney and liver damage
What Physical Hazards
does Oregon face?
 Earthquakes
Oregon sits just outside the
Cascadia Subduction Zone

They've discovered that
major earthquakes
happen here an
average of every 240
years. The last major
Cascadia earthquake
was 315 years ago

Oregon is about 75
years Past Due for a big
earthquake

Article link Hiking in the Fault zone
What Physical Hazards does
Oregon face?
 Wild
Fires
Oregon suffers from many
devastating wildfires annually

Last year, the Canyon
Creek Fire cost Oregon
over $5.4 million and
destroyed over 110,000
acres of land

36 Homes were
destroyed by fire, many
were uninsured

FEMA provides loans
and grants to victims

Article link
What Physical Hazards does
Oregon face?
 Landslides/Floods
Oregon sits in the middle of the
Pacific Temperate Rainforest (2.5
meters of rainfall per year)

Willamette Valley Flood of
1996 – Oregon’s largest
flood event in terms of
fatalities & monetary
damage

Over $500 million in
damages & over 3,000
people were displaced

Oregon City & Tillamook
were under water for days

Article link

Landslides Interactive Map
What Cultural Hazards does
Oregon face?
 Caffeine
CNBC ranked America’s highest
caffeinated cities

Eugene, OR was ranked #7
with 138 coffee shops

Portland, OR was ranked
#3 with 876 coffee shops

#1 city was Seattle/
Tacoma with 1,640 shops

Consuming more than
600mg a day can cause:


Insomnia, Nervousness,
Irritability, Upset Stomach, Fast
Heartbeat, Muscle Tremors
Article link
What Cultural Hazards does
Oregon face?
 Ethyl
Alcohol
Portland boasts about having the
most microbreweries per capita

It is Estimated that 53% of
all draft beer consumed in
Oregon was brewed in
Oregon

There are currently 84
breweries in the Portland
Metro Area alone

Research has linked
alcohol consumption with
over 60 diseases including:


Anemia, Cardiovascular
Disease, Cancer, Depression,
Dementia, Seizures, Gout
Article link
What Cultural Hazards does Oregon face?
 Reckless
Driving
Oregonians had over 51,000
crashes during the 2014 year

Only 321 crashes were
fatal (10% over 2013)

Over 1,000 crashes
involved bicycles

Approximately 16% of all
crashes involved a driver
aged 15-20 years old
DMV Crash Data
Top 10 Driver Errors:
1. Failure to avoid stopped or parked vehicle ahead
2. Failure to yield right-of-way
3. Ran off road
4. Failure to maintain lane
5. Driving too fast for conditions
6. Inattention
7. Following too close
8. Improper change of traffic lanes
9. Left turn in front of on-coming traffic
10. Failure to decrease speed for slow moving vehicle
Top Pedestrian Errors:
1. Crossing between intersections
2. Disregarded traffic signal
3. Failure to yield right-of-way
Top Bicyclist / Pedal-cyclist Errors:
1. Failed to yield right-of-way
2. Disregarded traffic signal
3. Bicycling on shoulder facing highway