A harmful agent is a physical, biological or chemical agent that, when in contact with any living organism, can be highly dangerous.
These agents have a physical chemical compound that is harmful to any biological system and, unfortunately, can be found and grown in many places.
In general, they are preparations or substances that when ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin can cause death and even generate acute and chronic side effects for health.
Classes of harmful agents
Physical agent
A physical agent is a manifestation of energy that can cause damage to the cellular and molecular systems of people. In some cases it can manifest itself in different forms such as radiation, such as laser, x-ray, infrared, ultraviolet, ionizing, etc.
Infrared radiation is high-temperature thermal waves emitted by an external body, causing disorders in the human body. There are also ultraviolet radiation, capable of burning the skin and eyes.
Another example is ionizing radiation such as X-rays, these are emitted by radioactive elements that produce ions to pass through matter. High doses of radiation can cause severe damage to the human body.
Biological agent
Biological agents differ from the rest because they are the only ones capable of reproducing. When they come into contact with a human or animal being, they can generate infectious or parasitic diseases.
Some types of biological agents harmful to health are viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. The way to come into contact with these agents is dermal (skin), ocular (mucosa), parenteral (blood), digestive (oral-ingestion) and respiratory (inhalation).
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A chemical agent is any chemical element in its natural or processed state, which is obtained through various elements. Most are made through work activity for marketing.
In some cases, they have additives and impurities that are harmful when in contact with any living organism.
The effects of this agent in the body depend on the exposure time, the proximity of the harmful agent to organic particles, the solubility, its concentration and the personal susceptibility to chemicals.
Consequences
Exposure to a harmful agent can cause a wide range of fatal reactions to the body, including death in the worst case. Reason why it is important to classify them to determine the degree of toxicity of the same depending on the case.
One of the effects that a harmful agent can generate on health is its evolution into a mutagenic agent. It occurs when the harmful agent mutates within the body and is capable of altering the sequence and structure of DNA.
Although each harmful agent acts in the body in a different way, it is advisable to take the necessary precautions and determine greater safety measures with respect to these agents to reduce the risk of contact.
References
- Angerer, J. Schaller, (1988). Analyzes of hazardous substances in biological material. Weinheim. VCH.
- Lauwerys, R. Hoet, P. (1993). Industrial chemical exposure. Boca Raton, Lewis Publishers.
- Lioy, P. (1995). Measurement methods for human exposure analysis. Environ Health Perpect.
- World Health Organization. (1993). Biomar kers and risk assessment: concepts and principles. Environmental Health Citeria 55. Genera K WHO.
- Younes, M. (1995). The role of biomarkers in derivation of WHO-guidance values for air pollutants. Toxicol letters.