What Toxins Might Be Hiding in Your Workplace?

If you work in a manual or skilled labor industry, you're probably aware of many potential hazards you can encounter while on the job. Some of the obvious dangers include trips and falls, accidents and injuries while operating machinery, or other maladies such as broken bones or chronic health conditions. While you may be more cautious and aware of the physical dangers, toxic chemicals are often a hidden, but even deadlier, source of unsafe and life-threatening workplace risks.

COVID-19 has changed the way we consider respiratory health and safety precautions overall. In addition, September 26th marks the 17th anniversary of Mesothelioma Awareness Day. Patients diagnosed with this type of cancer typically experience severe respiratory complications, as mesothelioma often develops in the lungs' lining, and these individuals are more vulnerable to the pandemic.

Acknowledging the breadth of both COVID-19 and Mesothelioma Awareness Day brings priority to occupations that endanger respiratory health. When working, you should recognize the following air quality pollutants and similar toxic exposures that can be inhaled or ingested. By understanding your exposure risks, there's an opportunity to be proactive in prevention. These pollutants are not found in one specific industry and are not limited to indoor or outdoor workplaces.

Lead

Lead paint in homes is a well-known hazard that many homeowners, buyers, and sellers are wary of when remodeling or buying. However, the workplace is another source of exposure that may come as a surprise to you. As a type of metal, lead is practical for burning fossil fuels. However, when lead combines with various metals, it produces lead alloys -- central to manufacturing critical products like batteries and ammunition. This toxic metal is also in pipe solder, caulk, and ceramics.

Manufacturing, mining, and construction industries continue to work with lead and therefore expose employees. Workers can contact lead in several ways, such as burning lead materials, stripping lead paint, or handling lead gasoline. They could also ingest contaminated dust, water, and food because containers are often covered in a lead glaze or lead alloy. All of this can poison individuals and cause acute medical symptoms.

There is an extensive effect that lead exposure has on the body and mind, including:

• Neurological
• Hematological
• Cardiovascular
• Reproductive

One of the most dangerous areas affected by lead exposure is the neurological system. Brain damage caused by exposure is rarely reversible, and challenges that happen are difficulties with cognition and decision-making as well as impaired fine motor skills.

Asbestos

Another toxin that is extensive to a diverse range of industries and is also considered a carcinogen is asbestos. A predominant additive in insulation, building, and manufacturing products, this fiber can become airborne and enter the body through the lungs. While many are cautious of asbestos, like lead, it is still present in both pre-1970s buildings and products (before U.S. regulations began) and post-1970s (as regulations limited use to 1% today).

You may have asbestos in your home--covering old furnaces, vinyl flooring, and fire-resistant products. However, this mineral can break down at any time, releasing fibers everywhere, leading to a chance of ingestion or inhalation. When asbestos fibers enter the body, they can bury into organs such as the lungs, heart, or abdomen. Mechanics, firefighters, engineers, and construction workers are especially vulnerable to operating and disturbing asbestos.

Asbestos has a direct link to mesothelioma. There are four stages of this cancer, but with a latency period that can last nearly five decades, a patient's diagnosis can commonly come after Stage 1. This disease is often misdiagnosed as lung cancer, which results in mistreatment, a vital means to recovery. Mesothelioma is severe cancer with a bleak life-expectancy following initial diagnosis. As with lead, there is no "safe" amount of exposure.

Diesel Exhaust Emissions

Indispensable to many industries for power and transportation, diesel exhaust is made up of gases and particles created by diesel fuel combustion. This is another kind of particulate matter, diesel particulate matter (DPM), and can be broken down into "solid elemental carbon (EC) cores with organic carbon (OC) compounds adhered to the surfaces" with polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), a carcinogen. Among the toxins that diesel exhaust consists of are carbon monoxide, trace metals (arsenic and cadmium), sulfuric acid, and benzene.

Several industries require diesel engines to run their equipment. Some of these industries include:

• Transportation
• Mining
• Construction
• Agriculture
• Railroad workers
• Oil and gas workers

These employees may be diagnosed with respiratory diseases and lung cancer or have mild symptoms involving headaches, nausea, or eye and nose irritation. The longer duration of diesel exhaust exposure correlates with more severe symptoms such as chronic cough, mucus, bronchitis, heart disease, and decreased lung function.

When reviewed in 2012, the International Agency for Research on Cancer "concluded that [diesel exhaust] causes lung cancer." Stomach, ovarian, and bladder cancer are just three things linked to exposure to diesel exhaust. 

Being mindful of toxic exposures

The same industries often share the same toxins, posing multiple threats to these workers. Employees can take the initiative to prevent exposure by wearing personal protection equipment to reduce contact. They can also read labels and be more careful about what they touch and handle, especially as they are prevalent in a range of products.

With COVID-19 affecting everyday health and safety, as well as Mesothelioma Awareness Day highlighting the dangers of asbestos, it is a critical time to educate and bring attention to some of these less discussed health hazards.  

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