EFFECTS OF HAZARDOUS MATERIAL - FIRE SERVICES

Effects of Hazardous Material - Fire Services

Effects of Hazardous Material - Fire Services

Introduction

Hazardous materials is itself a term covering a broad range of chemical substances having variety of effects. The list of hazardous materials for humans is a long list comprising of several different substances. However, some of these are toxics while others are dangerous because they are flammable. Exposure to various hazardous materials may have instant effects, delayed effects or no effects at all on a person. ( Dundas, 2001)

Discussion

Hazardous materials can prove harmful for people in fire services in a number of ways. However, the effects greatly depend upon as to how the hazardous material entered the human body and how toxic is the substance. ( Dundas, 2001)

Exposure Route

The effects of hazardous materials on different areas of the body are in accordance to the way they enter the human body. Three main routes for the entrance of such toxic and hazardous materials are the skin, lungs and mouth.

Absorption through Skin

Although the skin provides a barrier to all the unwanted and harmful substances outside a human body, but prolonged exposure does result in the absorption of substances through skin. Firefighters may be exposed to absorption of such materials by way of the skin, which varies in terms of time for which the substance was in contact with skin, the skin temperature and the concentration and toxicity of the substances. The more the chemical is absorbed the severer the effects. ( Munson-McGee, Parsa & Steiner, 1996)

It should be understood that it is not certain that all hazardous materials damage or irritate skin. Substances may affect other parts of the body yet just keep skin the route to entry. The major toxic substances in this case include all those categorized as the corrosives, irritants and sensitizers. ( Orloff , Kenneth & Falk, 2003)

Inhalation through Lungs

The lungs perform an intermediary role for the human body by filtering all that is inhaled before dispatching things to the bloodstream. Even though the lungs have an extremely effective protective system to prevent the entry of any possible harmful chemicals, but many chemicals do enter the bloodstream as they are inhaled while performing fire services.

Lungs also act as a route of entry and most chemicals inhaled pose harmful effects to other parts of body. Toxic substances that enter through lungs include those categorized as simple asphyxiants, irritants, sensitizers. ( Chaudhary & Rachana , 2006)

Ingestion through Mouth

Ingestion of hazardous material is only common in the cases of childhood poisoning and suicide cases; however, there are chances of work and environmental exposures of hazardous materials too. Most common cases of ingestion of hazardous materials include eating or smoking contaminates things, or the chances of contact of contaminated clothing or hands with the mouth. However, firefighters are less prone to this type of toxicity as the services they offer are no way near eating or smoking. Most common toxic substances include all those that are categorized as sensitizers, irritants and ...