PSM CHAPTER 2: TOXICOLOGY Animal toxins Heavy metals

 DEFINITIONS
-Toxicology: Qualitative and quantitative study of the adverse effect of toxicants Dioxin/Furans
on biological organism Classification of
-Toxicants: Physical (dust, heat, noise, asbestos fibres) Toxic Agents
Chemical agents (poisons)
Biological (pathogens) Plant toxins
Solvents and Vapour
-Toxicity: of the chemical or physical agent is a property of the agent describing its
effect on biological organisms. pesticides Radiation and
Analytical radioactive materials
Environmental toxicology
Sub-disciplines of toxicology
- Contaminants of food,
water soil toxicology
Forensic toxicology
Occupational (industrial) Mechanistic
toxicology Toxicology
Regulatory Clinical Toxicology
- expose to chemicals in
toxicology Description
workplace
Food toxicology Toxicology

 STUDY OF TOXICOLOGY
EN (ENTRY) EF (EFFECT) EL (ELIMINATE) AV (AVOID)
- Ingestion (through mouth to stomach, Irreversible effects - excretion
2nd lowest in bloodstream concentration) - carcinogen  causes cancer - detoxification Method for control
- Mutagen causes chromosome - storage
- Inhalation (through mouth/nose, 2 nd damage ingestion  enforcement of rules on
highest in bloodstream concentration) - Reproductive hazard  damage to eating, drinking and smoking
- injection (through needle into skin, reproductive system inhalation  ventilation, respirators,
highest in bloodstream concentration) - Teratogen  causes birth defects hoods and other protection equipment
- dermal absorption (through skin injection  proper protective clothing
membrane, lowest in bloodstream dermal adsorption  proper protective
concentration) clothing
 DOSE VS RESPONDS

 DOSE LIMIT VALUES

• ED – effective dose. the response to the chemical or agent is minor and reversible.
Can also be known as the amount of a drug, that is sufficient to achieve the desired
clinical improvement.
• TDf – Toxic dose. Undesirable response that is not lethal but is irreversible.
• LDf – Lethal dose. Dose that results in lethality.
• LD50 = Dose that results in 50% lethality.
• TD10 = Dose that results in 10% of toxicity.
 MODEL FOR DOSE AND RESPONSE CURVE
For computational purpose, the “Response vs. dose” curve is not convenient
| |
𝑃 = 50 1 + | |
𝑒𝑟𝑓 where erf = error function, Y= probit variable, P= probability
√

𝑌 = 𝑘 + 𝑘 ln 𝑉 where V, k1, k2 can be obtained from table

 THRESHOLD LIMIT VALUES (TLV)

converting from mg/m3 to ppm

22.4 𝑇 1
𝐶 = 𝑚𝑔/𝑚
𝑀 273 𝑃