Part.4 - Should we worry about our health
02.
The hazard of a natural phenomenon, organism, event, chemical or product is its intrinsic capacity to harm the human body. A hazard becomes a risk only if we are exposed to it at a sufficient level. A lion represents a deadly hazard, but there is no risk if it is in a cage.
In the case of a chemical substance, it is therefore crucial to understand its potential effects on our body -the hazard- and at what level of exposure this hazard becomes a significant risk.
The risk is the probability of any hazard to actually cause adverse effects in real life conditions.
For a chemical, the risk may vary according to:
- The hazard profile* of the substance,
- The way we are exposed to this hazard: skin contact, ingestion, inhalation…
- The dose we are actually exposed to,
- The duration (or recurrence) of exposure,
- The periods in our lives when we are more vulnerable to such hazard (pregnancy, foetal life, old age).
* e.g. potency of the substance, severity and reversibility of effects, capacity of the body to neutralize the substance or not…
01. Hazard, risk, what is the difference?
02.
The hazard of a natural phenomenon, organism, event, chemical or product is its intrinsic capacity to harm the human body. A hazard becomes a risk only if we are exposed to it at a sufficient level. A lion represents a deadly hazard, but there is no risk if it is in a cage.
In the case of a chemical substance, it is therefore crucial to understand its potential effects on our body -the hazard- and at what level of exposure this hazard becomes a significant risk.
The risk is the probability of any hazard to actually cause adverse effects in real life conditions.
For a chemical, the risk may vary according to:
- The hazard profile* of the substance,
- The way we are exposed to this hazard: skin contact, ingestion, inhalation…
- The dose we are actually exposed to,
- The duration (or recurrence) of exposure,
- The periods in our lives when we are more vulnerable to such hazard (pregnancy, foetal life, old age).
* e.g. potency of the substance, severity and reversibility of effects, capacity of the body to neutralize the substance or not…
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