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What are the health effects

Exposure to certain substances can have serious effects on workers’ health. Some substances, such as asbestos (which can cause lung cancer and mesothelioma), are now banned or subject to strict control. Yet many substances that are still widely used can also cause serious health problems, if the risks associated with them are not managed properly.

Dangerous substances can have many different health effects including:

  • acute effects: through poisoning, suffocation, explosion and fire (include hyperlink to flammable and explosive substances GP section?)
  • long-term effects, for example:
    - respiratory diseases (reactions in the airways and lungs) such as asthma, rhinitis, asbestosis and silicosis (include hyperlink 1 to respiratory diseases GP section?)
    - occupational cancers (leukaemia, lung cancer, mesothelioma, cancer of the nasal cavity) (include hyperlink 1 to cancer and carcinogens GP section?)
  • health effects that can be both acute and long-term:
    - skin diseases (include hyperlink to skin problems GP section?)
    - reproductive problems and birth defects (include hyperlink to reproductive problems section?)
    - allergies
  • some substances can accumulate in the body (for example heavy metals such as lead and mercury or organic solvents) (include hyperlink to metals GP section and solvents GP section?)
  • some substances can have a cumulative effect
  • some substances can penetrate through the skin

     

 

Workers regularly exposed to liquids and using water, which can break down the skin’s natural defence barrier, are most at risk of developing skin problems. Exposure to extreme temperature and solar radiation, and biological risks also contribute. Heavy physical work can also enhance the uptake of dangerous substances.

The precise impact of many substances on human health and the environment is not fully known, however: this is one of the main motivations behind the new REACH system.

Workplace prevention should start with elimination, banning, substitution, and any other measures minimising the quantity and quality of exposures to dangerous substances and agents. This needs better occupational safety and health management systems at the enterprise level and functioning systems, strategies and national programs at the country and regional levels.

 

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