Chất gây ô nhiễm không khí và khí công nghiệp gây ra tác dụng có hại cho sức khỏe người lao động công nghiệp và công chúng nói chung, phụ thuộc vào cách thức tiếp xúc và nồng độ của các ứng cử viên hoặc hỗn hợp các chất ô nhiễm. Chất gây ô nhiễm không khí độc hại và nguy hại đến sức khỏe con người. Điều quan trọng là phải biết sự khác biệt giữa độc tính và nguy hiểm. Trong thực tế, độc tính và nguy hiểm không phải là thuật ngữ đồng nghĩa | 7 Air Pollutants and Toxic Gases INTRODUCTION Air pollutants and industrial gases cause adverse health effects in industrial workers and the general public depending upon the manner of exposure and the concentration of the candidate or mixture of pollutants. Air pollutants are toxic and hazardous to human health. It is important to know the differences between toxicity and hazard. In fact toxicity and hazard are not synonymous terms. The word toxicity identifies the capacity of a chemical substance to cause injury or harm to a living organism while the word hazard identifies the possibility that exposure to a chemical substance will cause an injury to the living organism when a specific quantity or concentration is used under a certain condition. Further the characterization of a hazard takes toxicity into account along with several other factors to arrive at risk determination. SOURCES OF POLLUTANTS AND HEALTH EFFECTS Combustion of fuels produces and releases pollutants such as hydrocarbons carbon monoxide oxides of nitrogen particulate matter sulfur dioxide and greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. Air pollutants are also released by some household products for instance paints paint strippers solvents wood preservatives aerosol sprays cleansers and disinfectants moth repellents stored fuels and automotive products. Air pollutants cause mild to severe health effects in the exposed individual and involve sensitive organ systems. These include the eyes nose and throat irritation headaches loss of coordination nausea and damage to liver kidney and central nervous system CNS can occur. Some organic pollutants cause cancer in animals while some are suspected of causing cancer in humans. The signs and symptoms of poisoning caused by the volatile organic chemicals include conjunctival irritation nose and throat discomfort headache allergic skin reaction dyspnea declines in serum cholinesterase levels nausea emesis epistaxis fatigue and .
