A chemical hazard is a (non-biological) substance that has the potential to harm health or well-being. Chemicals are widely used in the home and in many other places. Exposure to chemicals can cause serious or long-term health effects. There are many types of harmful chemicals, including neurotoxins, immune agents, dermatologic agents, carcinogens, reproductive toxins, systemic toxins, asthmagens, pneumoconiotic agents, and nerves. In the workplace, exposure to chemical hazards is a form of occupational hazard. The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) can significantly reduce the risk of injury by contact with hazardous substances.Prolonged exposure to hazardous chemicals such as silica dust, engine exhaust, cigarette smoke, and lead (among others) has been shown to increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure.
Deaths from exposure to hazardous chemicals worldwide have increased by 29 percent in 2019 from what they were in 2016, according to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) estimates. Two million people died as a result of exposure to harmful chemicals in 2019, compared to 1.56 million in 2016, according to the World Health Organization. Harmful chemicals are present in the air, in consumer products, at work, in water, or in the ground. They can cause a number of illnesses including mental, behavioral and emotional disorders, cataracts, or asthma.
Concerns were issued by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, during a Ministerial Conference held on July 7, 2021 at the Berlin Forum on Chemicals and Sustainability: Ambition and Action in late 2030 between 4,270 and 5,400 people die every day as a result of accident Chemical exposure, statistically. Children and young adults are particularly vulnerable to unintentional exposure to harmful chemicals, according to WHO data.
The data underscores the need for effective control and control of chemicals. India should also be aware of this as we await the national chemical policy since 2012. There is a need for a comprehensive law in the country that will regulate the use of chemicals, production and safety, DD Basu, a former Central Pollution Control Board scientist. .
Chemicals hazards in India
Although India has made progress in preventing the use of chemicals that endanger the lives of workers, there is still a long way to go to end the risk.
As India recently celebrated the color festival, medical experts have warned that exposure to harmful substances in Holi pigments – such as heavy metals, chemicals, and pesticides – could adversely affect human skin, eyes, and the respiratory system.
Holi is celebrated once a year – meaning that any exposure to potentially harmful powders is only temporary. However, millions of Indians are exposed to hazardous chemicals in the workplace every day.In fact, hazardous chemicals are everywhere – in the air, in consumer products, in water, in soil and in the workplace. They can cause a number of diseases, including mental, behavioral and neurological disorders, cataract membranes and asthma.
Workers across India are experiencing health problems due to work exposure to toxic chemicals such as lead, mercury, manganese, chromium, cadmium, benzene, pesticides, and asbestos. A large number of Indian workers lost their lives following exposure to these harmful substances, toxins, cancer, lung disorders, kidney and liver damage or, fatal burns and explosions involving these acts.
The lives of workers and their families are also greatly affected when workers experience degenerative and chronic illnesses and injuries due to exposure and events involving chemicals and other hazardous substances. India’s chemical industry, which produces both basic chemicals and chemical-based products – such as petrochemicals, fertilizers, paints, pesticides, many drugs and pharmaceuticals – is one of the world’s most diverse, creative industries with more than 70,000 creations commercial products containing or made of chemicals.
However, although India has more than 15 Acts and 19 laws governing the various aspects of the chemical industry, no law is specifically designed for the chemical industry.The Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986, is currently the umbrella of the chemical industry, according to the National Chemical Management Profile for India, introduced in 2005-06 by the Department of Environment, Forestry and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
In the three years to 2020, there have been more than four major chemical accidents each month in India’s chemical industry. “The 152 recorded accidents [within three years] are considered insignificant as most cases are unregistered,” said Gopal Krishna of the non-profit organization based in Delhi Toxics Watch, which researches and reports on health risks from a hazardous substance in India.
Lead poisoning
Exposure to cardiovascular disease (CVD), chronic kidney disease and mental retardation is said to be responsible for about 45 percent or nearly half of all deaths in 2019, according to a WHO report millions died as a result of exposure to the source. Of these, about 9 out of 10 people die from CVD as a result of exposure to lead. In fact, deaths from lead exposure have risen by 67 percent since 2016.
Lead is added to paints for a variety of reasons, including enhancing color, reducing rust and reducing drying time. The world is lagging behind in terms of lead control. Only 41 percent of the countries, including India, have laws legally binding on the production, importation, sale and use of lead paint, according to WHO at least 17 African countries have no control over the use of lead paint.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) caused by work exposure to particles and cancer due to work exposure to carcinogens is counted as a major component of preventable death. COPD from exposure to workloads of dust, smoke and gas has killed more than 0.5 million people. More than 3.5 million die from cancer as a result of exposure to carcinogenic chemicals such as arsenic, asbestos and benzene.
Years of disability-adjusted life were also lost
In 2019, a loss of 53 million years of disability was lost. This is an increase of more than 19 percent since 2016. Some 45 million years of disability were lost due to unauthorized use of chemicals in 2016.There has been a 56 percent increase in life expectancy due to disability exposure from 2016, a review of WHO data shows. In 2019, 21.6 million years of disability lives were lost due to lead exposure.
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