CHAPTER 3 Toxicology

1. Toxicology a qualitative & quantitative study of the adverse

effects of toxicants on biological organisms.
2. Industrial hygiene the science of anticipating, recognizing,
evaluating & controlling workplace conditions that may cause
workers injury or illness.
3. Toxicants
a. Chemical/physical/biological agents.
b. Toxicity is a property of toxicants that describe its
effects on biological organism.
c. Toxic hazards in the likelihood of damage to
biological organisms based on exposure resulting
from the use/transport/storage of the toxicants.
4. Classification of toxicants
i. Physical dust, fibers, noise and radiation
ii. Biological bacteria and virus
iii. Chemical chemical compounds
b. Reversible
1. Dermatotoxic affects skin
2. Hemotoxic affects blood
3. Hepatotoxic affects liver
4. Nephrotoxic affects kidneys
5. Neurotoxic affects nervous system
6. Pulmonotoxic affects lungs
c. Irreversible
1. Carcinogen causes cancer
2. Mutagen cause chromosome damage
3. Teratogen cause birth defects
ii. Acute
1. High dosage
2. The effect is immediate
iii. Chronic
1. Lower dose
2. Effect only noticeable after prolonged
exposure
d. Local - damage to part of the body that comes
into contact with the substance.
e. Systematic chemical is absorbed by the body and
attacks a target organ.
5. Source of toxicants
i. Toxic release vapor/gas/liquid release from
source
ii. Fire and explosion fire & explosion and toxic
release following explosion
b. Routes of entry

6. Respiratory system
a. Nose, sinuses, mouth, pharynx, larynx and trachea.
b. Filtering, heating and humidifying the air.
c. Affected by toxicants that are soluble in water.
d. These toxicants will react or dissolve in the mucus to
form acids or bases.
e. Lower respiratory system
i. Lungs
ii. Toxicants affect the function of alveoli by
blocking the transfer of gases or by reaction
with alveoli wall to produce corrosive/toxic
substances.
f. Effect of dust and insoluble materials - The smaller
the dust particle, the further it penetrates into the
respiratory system
7. How toxicants are released from biological organisms
a. Excretion via kidneys, liver, lungs, skin, hair or nail
b. Detoxification change the chemical into something
less harmful by biotransformation through liver or blood
c. Storage in fatty tissue. Can create problem when
fatty deposits are metabolized and released the
toxic
8. Dose-response relationships
a. The dose-response curve may differ for different
populations
b. Different individuals react differently to
drug/toxins
c. Dose-response curve graphical representation of the
relationship between the dose of a stimulant and
the response caused.

d. Toxicology responses
i. Only toxic effects are of concern
ii. Low doses no observable effect level (NOEL)
iii. Greater than NOEL toxic

e. Pharmacology responses
i. Low dose no response (subtherapeutic).
ii. Increase dose leads to increase in therapeutic
response.
iii. Greater than therapeutic toxic

f. Factor influencing a dose-response curve

i. Species
ii. Gender
iii. Genetic strain
iv. Age
v. Environmental conditions
vi. Nutritional status