La forma material de un producto químico peligroso puede influir en cómo penetra en el organismo y en alguna medida en el daño que provoca.

Las principales formas materiales de los productos químicos peligrosos son sólidos, polvos, líquidos, vapores y gases.

Solids

Solids are the forms of hazardous chemicals that are likely to cause chemical poisoning, although some can cause poisoning if they touch the skin or get into food when ingested. Hazardous chemicals in solid form can give off toxic vapors that can be inhaled, and solids can be flammable and explosive, as well as corrosive to the skin.

metal fumes

They are solid particles that are generated from the condensation of melts.

Powder

Powders are small particles of solids. The main danger of hazardous dusts is that they can be breathed into the lungs.

The smallest particles are the most dangerous because they can enter the lungs and have harmful effects, be absorbed into the bloodstream and pass to parts of the body, or cause eye injury.

Under certain conditions dust can explode, for example in grain silos or flour mills.

Liquids

Many liquid chemicals are dangerous as they give off vapors that can be inhaled and be highly toxic, depending on the substance. Some products can immediately damage the skin and others pass directly through the skin into the bloodstream so they can travel to different parts of the body.

Humidity and vapors are often invisible.

Vapors

Many liquid chemicals evaporate at room temperature, meaning they form a vapor and remain in the air. The fumes of some chemicals can irritate the eyes and skin and inhaling them can have serious health consequences. Vapors may be flammable or explosive.

Gases

Gaseous substance at a temperature of 20 °C and a pressure of 101.3 kPa (1 atm).[5] Some gases may have harmful (toxic, corrosive...) or dangerous (flammable, explosive...) properties. Detecting their presence by odor is misleading: Many gases and vapors have their toxicity threshold below the odor threshold.[6]​.

Many people do not know the risks of toxic chemicals, and they often do not know how to safely dispose of these chemical wastes. As a result, they often limit themselves to disposing of chemical waste in nature, for example in the ocean, rivers, lakes, fields, country roads, etc. Sometimes these dangerous products are in the community where you and your family live and work, and in places of recreation and relaxation. Toxic chemicals that are improperly disposed of can end up in drinking water, where children play, on farmland, in the food we eat, etc.

All countries today are struggling with the problem of hazardous chemical waste and how to permanently and safely dispose of it. The best solution found to date is to use specially approved and well-maintained landfills that prevent chemicals from leaching into groundwater and living or growing areas. Throwing chemicals into the ocean is never a solution, as they can have serious consequences: the substances enter the food chain, destroy marine life, return to the shores, etc.

Exposure to toxic chemicals can also lead to higher rates of workplace accidents. For example, chemicals such as solvents and asphyxiants can slow down a worker's reactions by affecting their nervous system or reducing the amount of oxygen that reaches their lungs. Slowness to react can be very serious (and even fatal) if the worker is in a dangerous situation that requires an immediate response. Unfortunately, when an accident happens, management often places the blame on the worker, claiming that they were not careful. This tendency to "blame the victim" is another reason to know the products you work with, ensure that appropriate control measures are applied, and know the rights that the worker has.

"If you work with dangerous chemicals without adequate protection, serious accidents can occur.".

Es un proceso que reúne a disciplinas como química, biología, toxicología, epidemiología y estadísticas en un intento para determinar la severidad de un riesgo para la salud por exposición a una sustancia dada. El primer paso consiste en tratar de identificar el peligro (sin realizar pruebas en animales) examinando datos de exposición y las posibilidades de experimentar un efecto adverso sobre la salud. También se intenta determinar cómo la gente queda expuesta y con qué magnitud.

Risk communication

It facilitates the accurate transfer of information between scientists who assess risk, government agencies that control it, and the general public.

Risk control

It involves ethics, equality, economics and other issues that are part of government, political and social interactions. The removal of asbestos in public buildings is an example of risk control. Another example of risk control is the ban on the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) because of the damage they are causing to the Earth's ozone layer.

When assessing the risks to your own life, keep in mind that epidemiologists have found very few environmental agents that are clearly linked to cancer, for example. Another example is the use of mouthwash with high OH content (alcohols) it has been reported that the risk of oral cancer increases 1.5 times.

One way to control and reduce the risk associated with chemical products is to store them in appropriate conditions for which there are standards based on technical and legal aspects[7]​[8]​[9]​[10]​.

The accumulation of chemicals in storage places generates risks that can and must be eliminated or reduced. In this regard, it is necessary to distinguish industrial facilities with high volumes of substances from other places with limited storage capacity (laboratories, hospitals...).

In the case of industrial sites, storage facilities must comply with European[11]​ and Spanish standards.[8]​ These include storage standards, called “Complementary Technical Instructions” or ITC for some specific compounds. The obligation to register in a Registry of Industrial Establishments can be highlighted when the quantity of stored product exceeds certain limits.

In the case of places with limited storage capacity (laboratories, hospitals...) a series of basic work rules are recommended.[7]​.

Risk management in chemical product warehouses involves following minimum management measures:

An important aspect to take into account is the ability of some chemicals to react with each other, so it is necessary to prevent the risk of an uncontrolled reaction. To do this, chemicals are usually separated based on their reactivity.

The basic incompatibilities are:

Added to this is the convenience of separating toxic products from flammable and explosive products, so the table of incompatibilities can be expanded with a more detailed classification of the types of incompatible substances.[12]​.

Waste should not be disposed of directly.

A widely used system is to group them into different collection containers, classifying and labeling each of them according to the type of substances to be discarded.

For the subsequent elimination of these, we recommend hiring a company specialized in the task.

Before disposing of a product, the H and P phrases and any manufacturer's instructions derived from its handling must be read...

La forma material de un producto químico peligroso puede influir en cómo penetra en el organismo y en alguna medida en el daño que provoca.

Las principales formas materiales de los productos químicos peligrosos son sólidos, polvos, líquidos, vapores y gases.

Solids

Solids are the forms of hazardous chemicals that are likely to cause chemical poisoning, although some can cause poisoning if they touch the skin or get into food when ingested. Hazardous chemicals in solid form can give off toxic vapors that can be inhaled, and solids can be flammable and explosive, as well as corrosive to the skin.

metal fumes

They are solid particles that are generated from the condensation of melts.

Powder

Powders are small particles of solids. The main danger of hazardous dusts is that they can be breathed into the lungs.

The smallest particles are the most dangerous because they can enter the lungs and have harmful effects, be absorbed into the bloodstream and pass to parts of the body, or cause eye injury.

Under certain conditions dust can explode, for example in grain silos or flour mills.

Liquids

Many liquid chemicals are dangerous as they give off vapors that can be inhaled and be highly toxic, depending on the substance. Some products can immediately damage the skin and others pass directly through the skin into the bloodstream so they can travel to different parts of the body.

Humidity and vapors are often invisible.

Vapors

Many liquid chemicals evaporate at room temperature, meaning they form a vapor and remain in the air. The fumes of some chemicals can irritate the eyes and skin and inhaling them can have serious health consequences. Vapors may be flammable or explosive.

Gases

Gaseous substance at a temperature of 20 °C and a pressure of 101.3 kPa (1 atm).[5] Some gases may have harmful (toxic, corrosive...) or dangerous (flammable, explosive...) properties. Detecting their presence by odor is misleading: Many gases and vapors have their toxicity threshold below the odor threshold.[6]​.

Many people do not know the risks of toxic chemicals, and they often do not know how to safely dispose of these chemical wastes. As a result, they often limit themselves to disposing of chemical waste in nature, for example in the ocean, rivers, lakes, fields, country roads, etc. Sometimes these dangerous products are in the community where you and your family live and work, and in places of recreation and relaxation. Toxic chemicals that are improperly disposed of can end up in drinking water, where children play, on farmland, in the food we eat, etc.

All countries today are struggling with the problem of hazardous chemical waste and how to permanently and safely dispose of it. The best solution found to date is to use specially approved and well-maintained landfills that prevent chemicals from leaching into groundwater and living or growing areas. Throwing chemicals into the ocean is never a solution, as they can have serious consequences: the substances enter the food chain, destroy marine life, return to the shores, etc.

Exposure to toxic chemicals can also lead to higher rates of workplace accidents. For example, chemicals such as solvents and asphyxiants can slow down a worker's reactions by affecting their nervous system or reducing the amount of oxygen that reaches their lungs. Slowness to react can be very serious (and even fatal) if the worker is in a dangerous situation that requires an immediate response. Unfortunately, when an accident happens, management often places the blame on the worker, claiming that they were not careful. This tendency to "blame the victim" is another reason to know the products you work with, ensure that appropriate control measures are applied, and know the rights that the worker has.

"If you work with dangerous chemicals without adequate protection, serious accidents can occur.".

Es un proceso que reúne a disciplinas como química, biología, toxicología, epidemiología y estadísticas en un intento para determinar la severidad de un riesgo para la salud por exposición a una sustancia dada. El primer paso consiste en tratar de identificar el peligro (sin realizar pruebas en animales) examinando datos de exposición y las posibilidades de experimentar un efecto adverso sobre la salud. También se intenta determinar cómo la gente queda expuesta y con qué magnitud.

Risk communication

It facilitates the accurate transfer of information between scientists who assess risk, government agencies that control it, and the general public.

Risk control

It involves ethics, equality, economics and other issues that are part of government, political and social interactions. The removal of asbestos in public buildings is an example of risk control. Another example of risk control is the ban on the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) because of the damage they are causing to the Earth's ozone layer.

When assessing the risks to your own life, keep in mind that epidemiologists have found very few environmental agents that are clearly linked to cancer, for example. Another example is the use of mouthwash with high OH content (alcohols) it has been reported that the risk of oral cancer increases 1.5 times.

One way to control and reduce the risk associated with chemical products is to store them in appropriate conditions for which there are standards based on technical and legal aspects[7]​[8]​[9]​[10]​.

The accumulation of chemicals in storage places generates risks that can and must be eliminated or reduced. In this regard, it is necessary to distinguish industrial facilities with high volumes of substances from other places with limited storage capacity (laboratories, hospitals...).

In the case of industrial sites, storage facilities must comply with European[11]​ and Spanish standards.[8]​ These include storage standards, called “Complementary Technical Instructions” or ITC for some specific compounds. The obligation to register in a Registry of Industrial Establishments can be highlighted when the quantity of stored product exceeds certain limits.

In the case of places with limited storage capacity (laboratories, hospitals...) a series of basic work rules are recommended.[7]​.

Risk management in chemical product warehouses involves following minimum management measures:

An important aspect to take into account is the ability of some chemicals to react with each other, so it is necessary to prevent the risk of an uncontrolled reaction. To do this, chemicals are usually separated based on their reactivity.

The basic incompatibilities are:

Added to this is the convenience of separating toxic products from flammable and explosive products, so the table of incompatibilities can be expanded with a more detailed classification of the types of incompatible substances.[12]​.

Waste should not be disposed of directly.

A widely used system is to group them into different collection containers, classifying and labeling each of them according to the type of substances to be discarded.

For the subsequent elimination of these, we recommend hiring a company specialized in the task.

Before disposing of a product, the H and P phrases and any manufacturer's instructions derived from its handling must be read...