18
1 Chemicals in the Food and Beverage Industry: An Introduction
(2) Chronic, often due to the repeated administration of small doses, resulting in
the possible appearance over time of an occupational disease (e.g., occupational
cancer).
In addition, the risk of fire explosion has to be considered. Dangerous chemical
reactions likely to produce dangerous, toxic, and/or flammable substances, thermal
burns, and asphyxiation are all possible consequences. A highly toxic chemical can
be a low health hazard if used with proper precautions and measures. On the other
hand, a chemical with low toxicity presents a serious health hazard if used with no
care.
All chemicals can cause poisoning if the dose is sufficient. In other words, all
chemicals can be toxic. Meanwhile, chemicals that are only slightly toxic should be
absorbed in large doses to cause intoxication. Small doses of highly toxic chemicals
are enough to cause poisoning. Anyway, the quantity or the assimilated dose by the
organism determines whether toxic effects will be observed. So, poisoning is caused
not only by exposure to a specific chemical, but rather by exposure to extremely
abundant doses of product. It should also be noted that the toxicity of a chemical
cannot be modified, while hazards can be managed and adequately minimized. Two
types of toxicity are to be distinguished: acute and chronic toxicities (Hellman 2003;
Stellman 1998).
1.8.1 The Toxic Effect
The toxic effect is the consequence of the accidental release of polluting product(s) in
the form of gas clouds, following, e.g., a rupture of piping, the destruction of storage
tanks or a fire, or the opening of a melting reactor containing an intermediate food
mass with dispersed citric acid (with consequent aerosolized compounds). Should
an individual absorb chemicals, various biological effects would occur and appear:
(1) Beneficial, e.g., improvement of health after administration of a medication, or
(2) Harmful, e.g., lung damage following the inhalation of a corrosive gas.
The notion of toxic effect implies harmful consequences for the organism (Hellman 2003; Stellman 1998). Inhaling, touching, and even ingesting chemicals do not
necessarily result in a toxic effect. For example, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is a metabolite in the human body exhaled by the lungs that is also found in the environment. It
causes suffocation if present in sufficient quantity in an enclosed or poorly ventilated
space. Paradoxically, the absorption of a substance in small quantity can prove to be
very toxic and cause serious lesions, while the large absorption of another substance
with lower toxicity can produce a favorable effect. Therefore, the harmful effect is
related to the dose, the absorption route, the type, and severity of the lesions as well
as the time necessary for the appearance of a lesion. The toxic effect is thus linked
to the notion of toxicity.
For each product, three thresholds of effects are identified with regard to its
harmfulness (Hellman 2003; Stellman 1998):
1 Chemicals in the Food and Beverage Industry: An Introduction
(2) Chronic, often due to the repeated administration of small doses, resulting in
the possible appearance over time of an occupational disease (e.g., occupational
cancer).
In addition, the risk of fire explosion has to be considered. Dangerous chemical
reactions likely to produce dangerous, toxic, and/or flammable substances, thermal
burns, and asphyxiation are all possible consequences. A highly toxic chemical can
be a low health hazard if used with proper precautions and measures. On the other
hand, a chemical with low toxicity presents a serious health hazard if used with no
care.
All chemicals can cause poisoning if the dose is sufficient. In other words, all
chemicals can be toxic. Meanwhile, chemicals that are only slightly toxic should be
absorbed in large doses to cause intoxication. Small doses of highly toxic chemicals
are enough to cause poisoning. Anyway, the quantity or the assimilated dose by the
organism determines whether toxic effects will be observed. So, poisoning is caused
not only by exposure to a specific chemical, but rather by exposure to extremely
abundant doses of product. It should also be noted that the toxicity of a chemical
cannot be modified, while hazards can be managed and adequately minimized. Two
types of toxicity are to be distinguished: acute and chronic toxicities (Hellman 2003;
Stellman 1998).
1.8.1 The Toxic Effect
The toxic effect is the consequence of the accidental release of polluting product(s) in
the form of gas clouds, following, e.g., a rupture of piping, the destruction of storage
tanks or a fire, or the opening of a melting reactor containing an intermediate food
mass with dispersed citric acid (with consequent aerosolized compounds). Should
an individual absorb chemicals, various biological effects would occur and appear:
(1) Beneficial, e.g., improvement of health after administration of a medication, or
(2) Harmful, e.g., lung damage following the inhalation of a corrosive gas.
The notion of toxic effect implies harmful consequences for the organism (Hellman 2003; Stellman 1998). Inhaling, touching, and even ingesting chemicals do not
necessarily result in a toxic effect. For example, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is a metabolite in the human body exhaled by the lungs that is also found in the environment. It
causes suffocation if present in sufficient quantity in an enclosed or poorly ventilated
space. Paradoxically, the absorption of a substance in small quantity can prove to be
very toxic and cause serious lesions, while the large absorption of another substance
with lower toxicity can produce a favorable effect. Therefore, the harmful effect is
related to the dose, the absorption route, the type, and severity of the lesions as well
as the time necessary for the appearance of a lesion. The toxic effect is thus linked
to the notion of toxicity.
For each product, three thresholds of effects are identified with regard to its
harmfulness (Hellman 2003; Stellman 1998):