Improving Environmental Health Through Quality Information

REPEAT THE QUESTION PLEASE!

What would be the cause of a chronic toxic effect occurring after chemical exposure?

Chronic toxic effects can occur due to any or all of the following:

1. If the chemical accumulates in the body.

2. If the chemical produces irreversible toxic effects.

3. If a repeated exposure occurs prior to the bodies system recovering from toxic damage.

Imagine that it is a week before you go on the family camping trip. You decide to move some of the equipment from the basement to the garage. There it is, the box with all the camping "stuff". You decide to save a few steps, and you place another bag with "stuff" on top of it. As you lift it, you think "This is pretty heavy but I can handle it". You make it to the garage and you think nothing of it. Until you attempt to pick up the Sunday paper off the floor and you can't straighten up. Alas, you have hurt your back. All because you were trying to save a few steps and yes a little time. What a critical mistake in judgment. Now every movement you make is painful and your whole body just feels tired. You had plans to patch the hole in the tent, but you can't reach above your head. You were going to wash the truck. That is out of the question. You can't even sit and watch TV comfortably. What have you done? You thought you were saving time, but you have reduced your ability to function in almost every aspect of your life. You now realize that taking a few extra steps to encourage safety is worth it!

1. Optimize material flow through the workplace by
-reducing manual lifting of materials to a minimum
-establishing adequate receiving, storage, and shipping facilities, and
-maintaining adequate clearances in aisle and access areas

2. Eliminate the need to lift or lower manually by
-increasing the weight to a point where it must be mechanically handled,
-palletizing handling of raw materials and products, and
-using unit load concept (bulk handling in large bins or containers)

3. Reduce the weight of the object by
-reducing the weight and capacity of the container
-reducing the load in the container, and
-limiting the quantity per container to suppliers

4. Reduce the hand distance from the body by
-changing the shape of the object or container so that it can be held closer to the body, and
-providing grips or handles for enabling the load to be held closer to the body

5. Convert Load lifting, carrying, and lowering movement to a push or pull by providing
-conveyors
-ball caster tables,
-hand trucks, and
-four-wheel carts

THINK ABOUT IT!

DID YOU KNOW?

Children in the same environment as adults will have higher blood levels of lead. This is due to a child's hand to mouth activity and eating of non-food objects. The most common objects consumed by children are paint chips containing lead pigment. (Perstein and Attala. 1966)