Plastics protect our health and safely shape our modern lives : Come and see for yourself !

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Part.4 - Should we worry about our health

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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…