Contact with Hazardous Products

There are so many products that we use that can be classified as “hazardous products.” We use most of these products so much during our daily routines that most of us tend to take for granted the amount of harm they will cause, provided that the product is misused.

Most of these products can cause damage, if for example they are not stored properly, by contaminating water that is used for personal reasons (i.e. drinking, washing, cooking and so on), by coming in contact with children, if the product is inhaled, or comes in contact with broken skin and so on. The amount of damage caused can vary from stomach aches to serious health issues to death.

A product can be classified under hazardous if it satisfies on or more qualities. If the product is ignitable, then the product can be classified as hazardous. If a product which is ignitable is not stored according to the directions given it could easily ignite. If the ignitable product comes in contact with fire it could cause damage to life and property. If the product is corrosive then also the product is hazardous. Corrosive does not necessarily mean eating up metal. Hazardous products which are classified as corrosive can eat away through any type of material and even destroy skin, muscle and bone. If a product has the capacity to be explosive and/or is reactive, then the product is hazardous. If the product is explosive it could cause explosions causing damage to life and property. If it is reactive it could release poisonous gases and cause damage to human life. A product could also be classified as toxic. The toxic effect could be over a short or long period of time depending on the level of toxicity. Finally a product can be radioactive. These products could cause harm to living tissue and chromosomal material. These products have the capacity to cause cancers, mutations and deathly harm.

If and when a person comes into contact with any type of hazardous material the first thing that should be done is called ‘damage control’. This means try and stop further damage by washing, wiping off or using any other recommended method to minimize the effect. Then try to figure out the type of danger the person is in. This is vital because it will help the doctors to decide what type of medical treatment should be used to cure the patient. Call the closest emergency service to you or take the patient to the closest hospital. It is vital that the doctor knows everything that they could, when treating the patient. Time is crucial, the more time it takes for the patient to receive medical treatment the more harm the product can cause. 

“Prevention is always better than cure,” so when storing and using hazardous products please do read the instructions given in the label. Following the instructions will eliminate or reduce the risk of danger. Most households use hazardous products in their day to day life. If the product is used according to the given specification and directions, then the product can be used for what it was manufactured to do, rather than it causing damage to property or life.