The word “toxicity” is a way and means of describing a material’s ability to damage a person’s or a group of people’s bodies. The higher in toxicity, the smaller the amount of a given material to cause damage. Highly toxic materials require special handling procedures and ventilation controls. It is as simple and straightforward as that.

First and foremost it is essential to note and remember that low concentrations of highly toxic materials can still cause and do serious damage. The analogy is that it is similar to the risks entailed when driving a car, you can drive slower and lower your risk but no matter what speed, or in these concentrations abound – there is always a manner and chance of risk and risks. Thus do not assume, as many persons have that using only a small amount of a given toxic chemical makes it OK, safe and perfectly fine. This is definitely not the case, no matter what.

Overall it can be categorized that chemical’s or a given chemicals health effects can be rated as either of acute or chronic effects. An acute event usually occurs and results from a single, solitary exposure which may occur in one of three ways, manners or methods. These are – firstly ingestion – that is for example mistakenly ingesting or drinking turpentine which been stored carelessly in a Canadian Club whiskey bottle. The second method can be inhalation – for example breathing air with a high carbon monoxide level due to a furnace with an improperly set and tuned burner or exhaust ducts that are impeded for air flow and not cleaned. Lastly a person or members of a worksite can be poisoned due skin contact that is for example receiving acid burns from spills from a bottle from acid during an etching commercial or hobby process.

The general rule about acute health effects is that the reaction is usually immediate and the cause usually rather apparent.

A chronic effect, on the other hand is a long term health problem, usually resulting from low-levels of exposure to chemicals over a long term extended period or periods of time. These can include chronic lung problems, blood vessels and heart damage and disease, liver as well as kidney impairment as well as other serious and ongoing health problems and concerns.

For many chronic diseases such as silicosis (a debilitating pulmonary breathing disease caused by breathing into the lungs clay and other silica containing dust and dusts) or liver damage from continuous solvent exposures, years or even decades may pass between the times of initial chemical exposure and exposures, and the end time when resulting symptoms develop or finally become apparent. This time gap is called the “latency” period. Because of the latency period and the fact that such chronic diseases are often more than very serious in nature of effect, symptoms and dehabilitating, by the time the damage is done and becomes apparent, that there is very little that can be done by the time symptoms appear. Thus with exposure to toxins which result in chronic effects and symptoms – prevention and limitation of exposure is everything.

Lastly cancer can be a chronic health effect of exposure to certain chemicals, and it deserves special attention as well as emphasis. Exposure to certain chemicals can cause specific types of cancer: lung cancer from inhaling arsenic oxide or lead as well as zinc chromate, uranium oxide, nickel compounds, cigarette tobacco smoke or asbestos. Next in line are exposures to chemicals and compounds such as benzene or benzyl (leukemia), bladder cancer from exposure to benzidine -based dyes or skin cancer from synthetic cutting oils.

It should be stressed and emphasized that like other chronic diseases cancer may take from ten to forty years to develop. At present there are not known safe exposure levels to any suspected cancer causing materials. The safest course of action no doubt is avoided and limits any and all exposures to such toxins. Filtration and ventilation filtration systems may be the only answer in some cases, situations and environments.

Author Bio: George I. Freed Furnasman One Hour Air Filters * The One Hour® Guardian Air Scrubber * One Hour® OXY254 UV Light * One Hour® AIR PURIFICATION SYSTEM Morgellons Research Foundation Com