What influence do pollutants have?
How do the various pollutants affect health and why is prevention so important? This is an elementary question if pollutants could be present at the workplace or if they are used for production or could be generated there.
Definition of pollutants
Pollutants are substances that have harmful effects on health. This can be both acute and chronic damage.
Acute damage is the irritation of the respiratory tract that occurs when the substance is inhaled. In contrast, chronic damage is (often) caused by repeated contact with the substance.
As numerous as the pollutants are, so different are the effects of these substances on health. To illustrate why prevention is so important, three different substances (or groups of substances) are presented as examples. These are
- A-dust and E-dust
- Asbestos
- Liquids
What are the effects of the pollutants?
Dusts are substances that are finely dispersed in the air. They can enter the body through the respiratory tract. They remain in the lungs, where they irritate the airways and lead to further respiratory diseases (e.g. “dust lung”).
Asbestos is a collective term for “naturally occurring, fibrous silicate minerals with fiber diameters of up to 2 micrometers”. The fibers are chemically resistant, insensitive to heat and extremely durable. This is why asbestos fibers were often used in building materials. Their use has since been banned, as it is now known that asbestos can be carcinogenic. The danger here lies in ingestion via the respiratory tract, where the fibers remain and cause (permanent) irritation of the lungs and lead to secondary diseases.
Liquids are substances that are in a liquid state of aggregation. This state depends on pressure and temperature, as well as the type of substance. The liquid acetone, for example, can enter the body via skin contact and destroy the skin’s own protection, as it attacks the body’s own fat layer. Other liquids can cause chemical burns (acids or alkalis) or similar irritations to the skin.
Why is prevention so important?
The simple answer to this question is that nobody wants to put themselves in danger at the workplace. Furthermore, it is a legal obligation to pay attention to occupational health and safety and to comply with it. It is in the employee’s own interest to maintain their personal health. The employers’ liability insurance associations and the DGUV (Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung (DGUV)) check compliance with the regulations and are the point of contact for all questions relating to occupational safety.
What protective measures are there?
There are various protective measures to protect yourself from contact with pollutants. Eye contact can be avoided by wearing safety goggles and body contact by wearing protective clothing. It is somewhat more difficult to protect against dusts and fibers that enter the body via the respiratory tract.
Skin contact (e.g. hands) can be prevented with protective gloves. Please note which material the gloves must be made of for the best possible protection. Acid burns can be avoided by using acid-resistant gloves. There is a skin protection plan that provides an overview of the various protective effects of the individual gloves.
For each protective measure, there is a corresponding concept on how to apply these measures. The employer is obliged to discuss this with his employees, to inform them and to check compliance. Advice on measuring of harmful substances, analysis and sampling can be found here.
Sources:
[1] http://www.dguv.de/de/praevention/themen-a-z/gefahrstoffe/index.jsp
[2] http://www.umweltbundesamt.de/themen/gesundheit/umwelteinfluesse-auf-den-menschen/chemische-stoffe/asbest#textpart-2
[3] http://www.pruefling-lufttechnik.de/asbestsanierung/warum_ist_asbest_so_gefaehrlich.html