Toxicologia 🧫🧪

Summary

This video script delves into the field of toxicology, a discipline that studies the harmful effects of chemical and physical agents on biological systems. It highlights the importance of understanding the nature and mechanisms of injuries caused by toxic substances. The script covers occupational toxicology, which focuses on the impact of workplace contaminants on health, and environmental toxicology, which deals with the damaging effects of chemicals in the environment on humans, animals, and ecosystems. It also discusses acute and chronic exposure, the classification of toxic substances, and the factors influencing toxic effects. The video emphasizes the significance of monitoring chemical behaviors and using biomarkers for detecting chemical substances in the body, such as arsenic, benzene, cadmium, chromium, mercury, and lead, to prioritize the study of chemicals based on their health risks and exposure populations.

Takeaways

• 🔬 Toxicology is defined by the World Health Organization as the study of harmful effects of chemical and physical agents on biological systems, and it assesses the extent of damage based on exposure.
• 👷‍♂️ Occupational toxicology focuses on the harmful effects of workplace contaminants on worker health, particularly in industries where exposure to dangerous chemicals occurs under unsafe conditions.
• 🌿 Environmental toxicology deals with the damaging effects of chemicals or toxic agents present in air, water, soil, food, and other environmental factors on humans, domestic animals, wildlife, and the ecosystem.
• 🧪 Toxicity is a property of a chemical molecule or compound that can cause harm or adverse effects on living organisms.
• 🚑 Acute exposure occurs over a short duration where the chemical or physical agent is rapidly absorbed, and its effects appear immediately.
• 🔄 Chronic exposure involves repeated exposure to low doses over a long period, leading to the accumulation of the toxic agent in the body as it is not eliminated as quickly as it is absorbed.
• 🌫 Toxic substances can be classified into various forms such as gases, vapors, mists, aerosols, dusts, fumes, and fibers, each with distinct characteristics and modes of exposure.
• 💉 The route of toxic exposure is crucial, with skin acting as a barrier, but some substances can be absorbed through it. Oral ingestion and respiratory inhalation are common routes, especially in occupational settings.
• 🔍 Factors modifying the response to a toxic agent are based on a triad of agent, receptor, and environment, considering aspects like genetic makeup, nutritional status, sex, age, emotional state, and environmental conditions.
• 🧪 Monitoring chemical behavior is fundamental and involves observation, assessment of individual exposure, and inference of substance frequency in tissues, organs, and body fluids, along with biological alterations.
• 📊 Biological indicators are essential for detecting chemical substances, with specific tests for arsenic, benzene, cadmium, chromium, mercury, and lead in urine, blood, hair, and saliva.
• 🛑 Criteria for prioritizing the selection of chemical or toxic substances for study should be based on the presumed threat to human health, the type of health disorder and its latent sequelae, the relationship with the agent's formulation and application, and the type and magnitude of exposed populations.

Q & A

What is toxicology according to the World Health Organization?

Toxicology is defined as the discipline that studies the harmful effects of chemical and physical agents on biological systems and establishes the magnitude of damage based on the exposure of living organisms to these agents.

How did the understanding of occupational health effects evolve in the 19th and 20th centuries?

In the late 19th century and throughout the 20th century, the knowledge of the effects of occupational activity in certain industries led to the recognition of serious diseases and deaths caused by exposure to dangerous chemicals and toxic agents under unsafe working conditions.

What is the focus of occupational toxicology?

Occupational toxicology focuses on studying the harmful effects on workers' health produced by environmental contaminants in the workplace.

What is environmental toxicology concerned with?

Environmental toxicology is concerned with the damaging effects of chemical substances or toxic agents present in the air, water, soil, food, and other environmental factors to which humans, domestic animals, fish, wildlife, and other ecosystem elements are exposed.

What is acute exposure in terms of toxicology?

Acute exposure occurs due to a short-duration exposure where the chemical or physical agent is rapidly absorbed, either in one or several doses, within a period not exceeding 24 hours, and its effects appear immediately.

What is chronic exposure and how does it differ from acute exposure?

Chronic exposure occurs with repeated exposures to low doses over a long period. The effects manifest because the toxic agent accumulates in the organism, meaning the amount eliminated is less than the amount absorbed, as the effects produced by repeated exposures accumulate.

How can toxic substances be classified based on their state?

Toxic substances can be classified as gases, vapors, mists, aerosols, foams, dusts, fumes, and fibers, each with specific characteristics and behaviors under ambient pressure and temperature conditions.

What is the most common route of toxic exposure in the workplace?

The respiratory route is the most common in the workplace, especially in manufacturing facilities, due to the frequent use of unstable substances that can be diffused and cause local damage or enter directly into the bloodstream.

What factors can modify the response to a toxic agent?

Factors that modify the response to a toxic agent are based on a triad of agent, receptor, and environment, which includes analyzing aspects such as structure, genetics, nutritional status, sex, age, emotional state of the receptor, temperature, high partial pressure of oxygen in the environment, and factors of the toxic agent.

What are some representative biological indicators for detecting chemical substances?

Representative biological indicators for detecting chemical substances include arsenic in urine, blood, and hair; benzene and phenol in urine; cadmium and chromium in urine and blood; mercury in urine, blood, and saliva; and lead in blood and urine.

What criteria are essential for determining the priority in the selection of chemicals or toxic substances for study?

The essential criteria for determining the priority in the selection of chemicals or toxic substances for study should be based on the presumption of a threat to people's health, the type of disorder and its latent sequelae on health, the relationship of the agent's formulation and application, and the type and magnitude of the populations exposed.