The Classification and Properties of Toxic Hazards

Abstract

A wide range of toxic hazards exists, both natural and man-made. A toxic hazard may be defined as any substance which has the ability to cause harm or damage to living organisms. The term ‘toxin’ is often used synonymously with any poison, but should be reserved to mean any toxic chemical which originates from a biological organism. Toxic trauma is the result of acute exposure to hazardous substances that cause life-threatening, seriously disabling acute effects and the intermediate effects that follow. Toxic agents may be classed as toxic industrial chemicals (TIC) or agents of chemical warfare (CW). Some agents such as chlorine and phosgene are both TIC and CW agents. Both TIC and CW agents may be classified in terms of their actions on somatic systems. TIC are also classified and identified using the UN HAZMAT system which assigns each agent into one of nine classes and gives an identification code number. Each toxic agent has four distinct properties, physical form, persistencytoxicity and latency, which determine their action in the body and also the risks of transmission of the hazard to other persons.