Bodily Effects of Hazardous Materials Research Paper

Bodily Effects of Hazardous Materials - Research Paper Example Some technologically advanced landfills also leak from time to time. The tanks used to store petroleum or chemicals can easily leak and catch fire. Tanks in the underground can weaken and leak their hazardous materials. There are many risks when transporting hazardous materials, for example, when trucks overturn or train crash. People can also dump hazardous materials in sewer systems, warehouses that are abandoned or remote areas, ditches to escape the costs of safe dumping. There are three routes of entry that hazardous materials enter into the body: ingestion, absorption, and inhalation (SYKLI, 2012). Health risks commonly linked with hazardous materials are grouped as acute and chronic. It is a must for one to get medical attention when one is exposed to harmful materials. Most of these exposures have treatment if one takes immediate action. Acute/ immediate effects result from a short-time exposure to hazardous substances. Some of the immediate warning signs include headaches, nausea, dizziness, skin, eye or respiratory damage or irritation, unconsciousness and even death. The most noticeable and common warning signs are skin, eye, and respiratory irritation. Occurrences of deaths are very rare, and the majority of these exposures can be treated if immediate attention is taken. Chronic/delayed effects occur after a long time exposure to hazardous materials. The exposure can also be very small over a lengthened period. The effects mainly target the liver and kidneys as all chemicals that get into the body pass through these organs. A perfect example of an unending health effect is called lung cancer from radon inhalation or cigarette smoke. There are some products that can cause large health risks, though used as directed. For instance, there are products taken off the market or banned due to their health or environmental risks, for example, those containing PCTs, PCBs, asbestos fibers, mercury, lead and arsenic