Industrial Toxicology

Industrial chemicals that cause the most harm to the body are classified as irritants,
asphyxiants, and systemic poisons. Generally, each grouping corresponds to a
common route of entry: the skin and eyes, the lungs, and the digestive system. These
sites are the places where absorption of the chemical occurs.

Investigation of toxic exposure in the workplace has led to more exact determinants of
toxic dose levels, which in turn have led to the creation of new safety procedures and
workers’ protection laws. This research has also pushed to eliminate hazards in the
workplace. New information and new restrictions in industry have pitted governments
against corporations and companies against workers and the unions that represent
them. This has resulted in individual and class action law suits centered on specific
chemicals in the workplace. Unlike other types of negligence cases, the courts find it
difficult to determine whether industrial chemicals caused the health effects specified
by a complaint or that the company knowingly placed workers in danger. In addition,
unlike food and medications, new industrial substances do not need to pass any sort
of tests or inspections before they are used