Occupational Exposure

Occupational Exposure – General Information

Occupational Exposure means the measure of the intensity and extent to which the human organism feels a particular hazard. No matter what the hazard is, the greater the exposure of the human body is, the bigger the risk of the appearance of side effects is and this is due to the exposure-response relationship. This type of exposure can be determined by many factors which include the duration of the exposure, the concentration of the substance inhaled, the intensity of the radiations and many others. For example a radiographer can suffer from Occupational Exposure due to the exposure to X-rays radiation and to the chemicals (such as glutaraldehyde, sulphur dioxide, acetic acid) which usually result from the filming processing.  The agents to which the persons may be exposed (the agents that trigger Occupational Exposure) can be biological agents (such as animal derived allergens, biological enzymes, insect-derived allergens, plant derived allergens, vegetable gums, or wood dusts and extracts), metals (such as metallic elements, hydrosulfits, metal hydrides, metalloid components, metals and organic compounds), mineral dusts (such as fibrogenic dust, synthetic vitreous dust, and other dusts as calcium sulfate, gypsum, silicon, etc.), toxic gases and vapors and gases like: acids, chemical asphyxiants, chemical weapons, corrosive gases, hydrides. Ask your personal physician for more information.

Occupational Exposure – Symptoms

It is well known the fact that any medical disorder (including Occupational Exposure) can trigger a variety of symptoms. Therefore, some of this medical condition's most uncommon symptoms have not been listed (mentioned) here. This is why we strongly recommend you to contact your personal health care provider whenever you develop any unusual, bothersome or unpleasant symptoms. Your personal physician will be able to tell you if you are suffering from a form of Occupational Exposure or from any other medical disorder. Here is a list of the most common symptoms that a person who suffers from one form of this medical condition, may experience, although each individual experiences them differently.

The symptoms of this medical condition depend on the disease that it triggers. The list of the diseases which appear due to the professional exposure vary very much, they can be airway diseases, cancer, chronic poisoning, hypersensitivity to pneumonitis, infections, interstitial lung disease, poisoning with heavy metal, and skin diseases, in conclusion they can affect all of the human body. Here are some of the most common symptoms in any of the forms of this medical condition: chest tightness, cough, acute dyspnea, hyperinflation, wheezing, eosinophilia, clubbing, and sputum production. All individuals ought to keep in mind that some of the symptoms that we have listed here can also be triggered by other medical conditions. For this reason it is important that each patient undergoes a set of detailed clinical exams in order for his or her personal health care provider to be able to assess without further doubt whether the patient is indeed suffering from a form of Occupational Exposure.

Occupational Exposure – Treatment

In order for the doctor or personal health care provider to establish the correct diagnostic he will perform a series of tests in order to determine the cause and the medical condition that the patients suffers from, this disease can include: airway diseases, cancer, chronic poisoning, hypersensitivity to pneumonitis, infections, interstitial lung disease, poisoning with heavy metal, and skin disease. For example one of the diseases which can appear in Occupational Exposure from acute poisoning is hemolytic anemia, and the treatment of this medical condition will be established by the personal health care provider and it will be based on the age of the patient, his overall health and medical history, the cause and extent of the disease, the patient’s tolerance for some of the medications and procedures. The treatment includes changing the diet, medication, vitamin and mineral supplements, treatment of the underlying cause, and in extreme cases splenectomy (this is the surgery during which the patient’s spleen is removed).

One of the diseases which can appear due to the Occupational Exposure is Bronciolitis obliterans (this is one of the airway diseases) and it is irreversible once installed. The patients in the majority of the cases need a lung transplant. One of the cancers which can appear due to the Occupational Exposure is the lung cancer. The treatment for this medical condition includes surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, interventional radiology and targeted therapy. The treatment will be established by the personal health care provider or by the doctor. Another disease which can develop is Parkinsonism and it appears due to chronic poisoning. The bad part is that there is no available treatment for the patients who are suffering from this medical condition. In hypersensitivity pneumonitis, the patients may develop Bagassosis which is a type of interstitial lung disease caused by the exposure to molasses and the treatment is based on avoiding the cause and the environment where this cause can be found. The patients who develop hypoxemia can be recommended supplemental oxygen.

Babesiosis is one of the infections which can appear in the persons with Occupational Exposure, fortunately the majority of the patients who are suffering from this medical condition do not need any specific treatment, as this solves by itself. For the patients who are very ill the treatment includes a two-drug regimen which includes Quinine and Clindamycin, but as these two drugs are usually not tolerated by the patients, the doctors also recommend Atovaquone and Azithromycin. In the cases in which this disease becomes a life threatening one, then the doctors recommend an exchange transfusion which means the removal of the red blood cells and their replacement with healthy ones. One of the skin diseases which can appear due to the Occupational Exposure is Dermatitis which can be classified in contact dermatitis, Neurodermatitis, stasis, atopic and perioral dermatitis. The treatment depends on the type of the dermatitis and can be based either on drugs, either on treating the underlying cause which lead to it, or by taking over-the-counter antihistamines can help the patients to reduce the itching.