Occupational biotoxicological emergencies of medical and related sectors’ workers

Yıl 2017, Volume 2, Issue 1(4), 27 - 27, 01.11.2017

Hakan Demirhindi Muhsin Akbaba

Öz

Occupational
toxicology deals with toxicological hazards and risks encountered in
occupational settings which do not only include industry or commerce, but also
leisure, education, transport and health sectors, too. There are around 70,000
substances identified to be used in workplaces. Around 1,000 new chemicals are
introduced each year in the list of substances used in workplaces.

On the other hand, regarding medical or medicine related work sectors including
veterinary or laboratories, biological exposures pose a new and not well
examined area, in which there are additional routes, sometimes definable as
contamination, like injuries during injections, operations, or airborne or
droplet transmission of infectious agents in addition to classical routes like
inhalation, ingestion and skin absorption in the form of dusts, fumes, mists,
vapours and gases in the workplace.

Huanca et al. (2016) reported 45.7% and 38.4% of accidents by biohazard among
doctors and nurses, respectively, between 2009 and 2013 in a hospital in Santa
Fe (New Mexico, USA).

Rymer et al. (2016) targeted 458 cases with HBV infection in health settings in
Poland and found that 86 (19%) were non-clinical health personnel with
undefined (86% of these) source of exposure

Cerda et al. (2014) examined occupational biological risk exposure among
Chilean workers between 2006 and 2009 and found a frequency of 58% (among 77
calls to a call-center) for health care workers with 42% (22.7/100.000 actual
workers) of the agents defined as self-inoculation of veterinary vaccines used
in the salmon industry followed by a venomous spider Loxosceles laeta
bites.

Studies reveal that not only medical staff, and especially emergency medical
service workers, but also non-medical staff are vulnerable to occupational
biohazards. Specific preventive measures should be considered including
education and monitoring.

 

 

Keywords:
Occupational
exposure, medical staff, emergency, biotoxicology

Anahtar Kelimeler

Occupational biotoxicological emergencies of medical and related sectors’ workers

Kaynakça

• Hakan Demirhindi, Muhsin Akbaba Çukurova University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health