Ch 6: Biological and Chemical Agents
The main route of entry for biological agents is through ingestion or penetration.
False
Toxicity is the main determinant of assessing the potential degree of seriousness of a chemical hazard.
False
What type of biological agents if inhaled can cause occupational diseases in farm workers?
Fungal
Exposure to toxic gases can produce acute and systemic toxicity.
True
Legionnaires' disease results from biological agents.
True
A chef working in the kitchen burns his hand on a hot stove, resulting in blisters. What type of toxicity should the restaurant manager be concerned about for his kitchen workers?
acute toxicity
Which of the following is NOT considered a biohazard?
aerosol
What are the types of control measures that can be used to ensure the safe handling of both chemical and low-level biological agents?
engineering, administrative, and work practices/procedures
What characteristic of chlorinated solvents could ultimately result in liver problems from cleaners?
fat-solubility
If Julia has developed a work-related occupational disease involving the central nervous system, what organic compound is mostly likely to be the cause?
hydrocarbons
Through what physiological system would poison ivy have an effect on gardeners and agricultural workers?
immune system
What is the size of the typical airborne particle found in fumes and smoke?
less than 1 micron
Medical surveillance programs only require the health records of the employee after the exposure.
False
Organic solvents fall into two classes-acids and bases.
False
Requiring workers to work overtime on a regular basis could produce a synergistic effect.
True
What toxic substance is most likely to produce dermatitis?
contact irritant
By which four routes can chemicals enter the body?
respiration, skin absorption, skin penetration, and ingestion
What characteristic of a solvent is related to its speed of evaporation?
volatility
Custodial staff (also known as janitors or cleaners) are the unsung heroes of the workplace. Going about their work while many of us are in bed, they deal with a whole host of situations that bring them into contact with a wide range of chemical and biological agents. They are exposed to residues left in the air and on surfaces from manufacturing processes, from service operations, and from human excretions (sweat, body oils, from sneezing, and so on). While employees of the firms that they service receive training about specific chemical and biological hazards, the custodial staff are often unaware of some of the hazards that they may encounter. Custodial staff may be at more risk of acquiring an illness/injury from acute, rather than ambient, exposure to a chemical or biological agent. How would the cleaning manager know if it was an acute exposure?
The cleaner had not worked at that location before.
The owner of the cleaning company tries to protect his workers by getting as much information as he can about chemical hazards when meeting with new clients and renewing contracts with existing clients. In general, for what percentage of chemicals will he be provided with toxicity data?
20%
A respirator is the most commonly used protection device for chemical and biological hazards.
True
People most at risk of exposure to biohazards are employed in unique or specialized jobs, such as medicine, research, and farming.
True
In the lab, HIV (I and II) requires the same level of control as what other biohazard?
Rabies
Rob's doctor has told him that his alveoli are seriously damaged. In what shape are his cilia likely to be?
severely damaged
Evan is the OH&S manager for a research lab that has Biosafety Level 1 (BSL 1) organisms. What does he need to do to protect himself from this type of organisms?
wash his hands before he eats lunch at work
Besides record keeping, what control measure ensures that baseline tests will be available when needed?
medical surveillance
No toxicity data is available for about 80% of the chemicals that are used commercially.
True
Custodial staff are exposed to aerosols through the cleaning products they use and as a by-product of mechanical and human activity at each workplace where they clean. What is the part of the respiratory system that is spiral shaped and could be protected from aerosols by wearing a face mask?
Turbinates
What is the recommended remedy for occupational asthma (e.g. crab asthma experienced by the snow crab workers in Newfoundland)?
changing to employment in another industry
The Globally Harmonized System is a system that would establish consistency around the world in terms of which of the following?
classification and labelling of chemical products
Which of the following is NOT considered one of the basic levels of protection within the respiratory tract?
esophagus
Employees with diabetes and other conditions often need to inject themselves at work to manage their condition. What is an administrative control that the human resource management department can implement to protect everyone from needlestick injuries?
provide education and training to all employees
What two food-related biohazards could cause custodial staff to fall victim to food poisoning if they do not have a way to properly store the food they brought from home for their meal break at 3 a.m.?
salmonellosis and staphylococcus
What is the difference between a fume and a vapour?
the material in a fume condenses with air contact
Which of the following is most likely to create a synergistic effect with airborne chemicals in a manufacturing plant?
the plant being located in a valley
