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1 Chemicals in the Food and Beverage Industry: An Introduction
They can also cause more insidious effects, after years of worker exposure at low
doses or even years after the end of exposure. These immediate and delayed hazards
must be taken into account as part of the same approach to chemical risk prevention.
Any chemical that comes into contact with the human body can lead to more or
less serious health effects. Whether solid, liquid, or gaseous, chemicals use three
main routes to enter the body: by inhalation, in contact with the skin, or by ingestion.
Two types of exposure are distinguished in a workplace, namely (Hellman 2003;
Silbergeld 1998; Stellman 1998):
(1) The products are used deliberately, in their liquid, solid, or gaseous state, for their
properties (diluent, degreaser, etc.), or as intermediates with other products to
manufacture a material or another substance, and this under specific conditions
of implementation (application with a cloth or roller, by soaking, by spraying,
at high temperatures, under pressure, etc.). This use may give rise to exposures
(2) A process or activity gives rise to emissions of chemicals (dust, vapors, gases,
fumes, mists, etc.): There is pollution of the workstation or its environment,
hence possible exposure of the operator or company employees. All sectors of
activity are affected by this type of exposure.
Occupational exposure may be related to a normal situation or function if preventive measures are inadequate, inappropriate, or not applied. Exposure can also
be accidental: rupture, leak, poorly controlled process, accidental spillage, etc.
(Norskolje&gass 2018).
Note that inhalation is the most common occupational mode of exposure, above
all in food and beverage environments where notable amounts of powders for food
purposes are used (as food additives). Next comes the percutaneous route, by contact and/or by diffusion through the skin: The effects are then either local (irritation,
burning, necrosis, etc.) or general ones. The mode of exposure by ingestion is not
negligible in the professional environment either because of ingestion by swallowing
of previously inhaled substances (by swallowing saliva) or because of hygiene problems (dirty hands). The use of certain detergents and disinfection agents is a good
example for this exposure (Gurnari 2015; Hellman 2003; Silbergeld 1998; Stellman
1998). Ingestion may also result from a voluntary act (suicide) or be accidental.
1.14.1 Danger Categories
Substances and preparations corresponding to the following categories may be classified as dangerous substances, according to the pre-CLP Regulation in Europe, as
shown in Fig. 3.1 (Hellman 2003; Silbergeld 1998; Stellman 1998):
(1) Explosives: solid, liquid, pasty, or gelatinous substances and preparations
which, even without the intervention of atmospheric oxygen, may exhibit an
exothermic reaction with rapid gas development and which, under certain conditions, detonate, deflagrate rapidly, or, under the effect of heat, explode in case
1 Chemicals in the Food and Beverage Industry: An Introduction
They can also cause more insidious effects, after years of worker exposure at low
doses or even years after the end of exposure. These immediate and delayed hazards
must be taken into account as part of the same approach to chemical risk prevention.
Any chemical that comes into contact with the human body can lead to more or
less serious health effects. Whether solid, liquid, or gaseous, chemicals use three
main routes to enter the body: by inhalation, in contact with the skin, or by ingestion.
Two types of exposure are distinguished in a workplace, namely (Hellman 2003;
Silbergeld 1998; Stellman 1998):
(1) The products are used deliberately, in their liquid, solid, or gaseous state, for their
properties (diluent, degreaser, etc.), or as intermediates with other products to
manufacture a material or another substance, and this under specific conditions
of implementation (application with a cloth or roller, by soaking, by spraying,
at high temperatures, under pressure, etc.). This use may give rise to exposures
(2) A process or activity gives rise to emissions of chemicals (dust, vapors, gases,
fumes, mists, etc.): There is pollution of the workstation or its environment,
hence possible exposure of the operator or company employees. All sectors of
activity are affected by this type of exposure.
Occupational exposure may be related to a normal situation or function if preventive measures are inadequate, inappropriate, or not applied. Exposure can also
be accidental: rupture, leak, poorly controlled process, accidental spillage, etc.
(Norskolje&gass 2018).
Note that inhalation is the most common occupational mode of exposure, above
all in food and beverage environments where notable amounts of powders for food
purposes are used (as food additives). Next comes the percutaneous route, by contact and/or by diffusion through the skin: The effects are then either local (irritation,
burning, necrosis, etc.) or general ones. The mode of exposure by ingestion is not
negligible in the professional environment either because of ingestion by swallowing
of previously inhaled substances (by swallowing saliva) or because of hygiene problems (dirty hands). The use of certain detergents and disinfection agents is a good
example for this exposure (Gurnari 2015; Hellman 2003; Silbergeld 1998; Stellman
1998). Ingestion may also result from a voluntary act (suicide) or be accidental.
1.14.1 Danger Categories
Substances and preparations corresponding to the following categories may be classified as dangerous substances, according to the pre-CLP Regulation in Europe, as
shown in Fig. 3.1 (Hellman 2003; Silbergeld 1998; Stellman 1998):
(1) Explosives: solid, liquid, pasty, or gelatinous substances and preparations
which, even without the intervention of atmospheric oxygen, may exhibit an
exothermic reaction with rapid gas development and which, under certain conditions, detonate, deflagrate rapidly, or, under the effect of heat, explode in case