Industrial toxicology is the study of the harmful effects on humans by chemicals used in the workplace, the products produced by companies, and the wastes created in manufacturing.
FORMS OF TOXICITY
Industrial chemicals that cause the most harm to the body are classified as irritants, asphyxiants, and systemic poisons. Generally, each grouping corresponds to a common route of entry: the skin and eyes, the lungs, and the digestive system. These sites are the places where absorption of the chemical occurs.
IRRITANTS
Irritants are substances that cause inflammation, rashes, or corrosion of skin. They can also cause pain, swelling, mucus secretion, and muscle constriction. These chemicals can also irritate the lining of lungs and the digestive system, and are called irritants because the corrosive effects occur on epithelial (skin) cells within these organs.
Irritants also include gases such as chlorine, ammonia, and formaldehyde. These chemicals can cause coughing, fluid build up in the lungs, and pain.
Another group of irritants called particulate irritants are composed of minute bits of material produced within the work environment. Pulmonary fibriosis, a common condition for those exposed to these irritants in mining and manufacturing, results in scarring of the lungs, and often disability and death. Coal miners are exposed to silica, which can result in pneumoconiosis, silicosis (black lung disease), and asbestosis. These are serious and potentially fatal illnesses. Alumina, zinc oxide, and silicate dust can irritate the lungs, but this inflammation is not as serious, and workers can recover from exposure. Fine droplets of acids, organic solvents, and petroleum products irritate both the lungs and the skin. Perfume components, cosmetics, creosote, and antibiotics, such as tetracycline, can also make the skin extremely sensitive to ultraviolet radiation in sunlight.
ASPHYXIANTS
Asphyxiants are aerosols or airborne chemicals that are inhaled through the mouth and nose. These chemicals displace oxygen within the lungs, thus inhibiting the amount of oxygen being transported throughout the body to nourish cells. Nitrogen and helium, used to flush vats and tanks before routine maintenance, are examples of simple asphyxiants. They replace oxygen in the atmosphere surrounding a worker.Chemical asphyxiants create harm when inhaled because they create a chemical reaction in the body. Carbon monoxide, for example, robs the body of oxygen by competitively binding to hemoglobin in the blood and preventing oxygen being transported to tissues of the body. Hydrogen sulfide, on the other hand, paralyzes the muscles in the lung and throat and prevents oxygen from entering the body.
SYSTEMIC POISONS
Systemic poisons are chemicals that are ingested and absorbed by the digestive tract. They are grouped according by their action or by a specific organ of the body that they target. Narcotics and anesthetics reduce central nervous system function, and include organic solvents that make effective anesthetics. One such solvent, diethyl ether, was taken out of the industrial sector and used in surgical procedures because of its anesthetic uses. Other neurotoxic agents may cause irreversible damage to the central or peripheral nervous system and include alcohols, mercury, carbon disulfide, and organometallics, such as tin used in antifungal coatings. Some chemicals, such as organic solvents and some metals, target the kidneys and liver. Since these organs are the body's toxin filters, they have more contact with ingested poisons and suffer greater damage. Another group of systemic   poisons, include benzene, lead, and arsenic, which affect the bone marrow and can produce too few red blood cells or too many white blood cells (leukocytosis). Certain agents, such as mercury, lead, and carbon disulfide, target reproductive organs. They can alter male fertility or cause spontaneous abortion. Mercury has been linked with birth defects. One group of systemic poisons, called carcinogens, has been widely publicized. These industrial chemicals have been shown to be linked with an increase rate of cancer among workers exposed to them. Some of them include coke oven emissions, asbestos, benzene, and vinyl chloride.

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Toxicology: Open Access