In
order to avoid serious accidents, proper administration of chemicals is essential.
by Camilla Colasso and Iride Alago*
The evolution of production, the consumption of chemical products and the use of nuclear energy to generate electricity had an increase from the twentieth century, when there was a significant advance in technological processes and in the adequacy of facilities, facilitating the production of these substances. With this, the number of individuals exposed to such products also grew, particularly among workers, which led to an increase in the number of accidents.
Faced with this scenario, the control and safety of technological processes for the production of chemicals became something very worrying and aroused the need to develop new mechanisms to manage the risk of accidents, which, due to the high degree of danger, can have very wide and serious proportions.
In 1986, for example, in the famous Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine, where there were leaks of neptunium and cesium, it is estimated that 8,000 people died and about 17,000 may still die in the next 70 years due to poisoning. From 1947 to 1984 chemical accidents in the United States, Japan, Italy and India were also responsible for the deaths of more than 100,000 people, in addition to another 700,000 affected or injured.
These events are also not far from South America, as for example in Brazil. A final reference indicates that there was a gas leak in Suzano (SP) in 2013 that killed one person and left 59 intoxicated. In Santos (SP), last year, a fuel tank fire took 15 days to get under control, creating a huge environmental impact and financial damage.
Accidents with chemical substances, in addition to generating great environmental impacts, material damage to facilities and damage to the image and financial aspect, also cause serious impacts to human health, as do deaths and injuries, there is still the risk of disease in the future, which can be perpetuated for generations. Among the occurrence of the causes of these accidents should always be noted the lack of care with the basic principles of maintenance, lack of knowledge of the characteristics of the chemicals handled, absence of signaling of storage tanks, which can generate unexpected reactions when several products are stored in combination, and the lack of specific training, among other factors.
In order for this scenario not to occur, a change of culture is necessary, especially in relation to the negative attitude that exists today when we talk about Safety and Health at Work (OSH). This attitude is due to ignorance of the causes of accidents and occupational diseases, which leads to apathy and lack of initiative in addressing these issues, even in high-risk sectors.
It is within this context that chemical safety must be considered as the most effective way to ensure the protection of health, life and the normal conditions of the environment for the rational and conscious use of them, and to control the stages of the life cycle of chemicals.
Intertox, a reference company in chemical safety, works with the management of chemical substances, one of the most important tools to avoid catastrophic events. This important work, in its first stage, identifies and communicates the hazards, and then determines the exposure in the workplace and evaluates the risks.
Subsequently, it indicates the possible measures to control the problem and assists in the implementation, in addition to constantly performing preventive maintenance to avoid accidents.
Chemicals will always be essential to modern life and will continue to be produced and used in the work environment. It is therefore necessary for Governments, organizations, employers and workers to put in place measures for the implementation of the safe management of chemicals in order to obtain an appropriate balance between the benefits of use and measures to prevent and control possible adverse effects on workers, workplaces, communities and the environment.
*Camilla Colasso is a pharmaceutical biochemist and received a master's degree in Toxicology and Toxicological Analysis at the University of São Paulo. She acts as manager of Occupational Safety and Health in the company Intertox and specializes in chemical weapons of war, as well as courses and conferences in the area of chemical and toxicological safety. She is the author of the book "Hydrofluoric Acid and Fluoride: Toxicological Aspects" and will publish for this year the book "Chemical Weapons: The Misuse of Toxicology".
*Iride M. Alago is a chemical engineer, specialized in Occupational Safety Engineering and Toxicological Sciences from Oswaldo Cruz University and also has a specialization in Environmental Sanitation at Mackenzie University. He is a member of the Brazilian Chemistry Committee of the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (CB10 / ABNT) and acts as a specialist in Occupational Health and Safety in the company Intertox.
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