Preface
Chemicals are essential for the production of a large number of industrial goods.
Many industrial sectors use chemicals (cleaning, degreasing, paints, inks, adhesives, foods, photocopiers, cleaning products, etc.). These substances gradually
invade the environment and many aspects of our life. It is through these products
that millions of people can produce and consume goods necessary for life.
Unfortunately, raising concerns about their effects on health and the environment
are emerged. Poorly used, without basic or special precautions, many of these
chemicals can become dangerous and sometimes cause great accidents and serious
diseases. More than 33 % of employees in the general industry, including food and
beverage articles, are exposed to at least one chemical product during their work.
Rejected into nature without precautions or treatments, chemicals pollute the
environment and break the natural balance for the development of life on earth, in
water and air.
Some of these substances can have significant adverse effects on the environment and health, even at low doses. Other products also raise concerns because
of their persistence in environments, difficulty of measuring them, and the lack of
knowledge of their environmental and health impacts on a long-term scale. They
can also be emitted as dust, gas, vapors, and their presence can then be unsuspected
resulting in more serious injuries and/or material damages. It should also be noted
that occupational cancers cause a mortality rate higher than that caused by occupational accidents: The multiplication of used chemicals and the complexity of
industrial processes therefore really require increased vigilance regarding the carcinogenic risk they induce. Food industries are not an exception. Cancer is now the
leading cause of death in industrialized countries. Respiratory cancers are the most
frequent occupational cancers: Cancers attributable to asbestos, benzene, ionising
radiations, and wood dust alone account for nearly 90% of work-related cancers.
However, these diseases often take several decades to develop after exposure; their
link with work is therefore not always easy to establish. Employers and workers
must be able to protect themselves from carcinogens. In this respect, chemicals play
a central role in health and safety at work. Therefore, the consideration of health
issues at work can be an opportunity to change the medium-term performance of all
vii
Chemicals are essential for the production of a large number of industrial goods.
Many industrial sectors use chemicals (cleaning, degreasing, paints, inks, adhesives, foods, photocopiers, cleaning products, etc.). These substances gradually
invade the environment and many aspects of our life. It is through these products
that millions of people can produce and consume goods necessary for life.
Unfortunately, raising concerns about their effects on health and the environment
are emerged. Poorly used, without basic or special precautions, many of these
chemicals can become dangerous and sometimes cause great accidents and serious
diseases. More than 33 % of employees in the general industry, including food and
beverage articles, are exposed to at least one chemical product during their work.
Rejected into nature without precautions or treatments, chemicals pollute the
environment and break the natural balance for the development of life on earth, in
water and air.
Some of these substances can have significant adverse effects on the environment and health, even at low doses. Other products also raise concerns because
of their persistence in environments, difficulty of measuring them, and the lack of
knowledge of their environmental and health impacts on a long-term scale. They
can also be emitted as dust, gas, vapors, and their presence can then be unsuspected
resulting in more serious injuries and/or material damages. It should also be noted
that occupational cancers cause a mortality rate higher than that caused by occupational accidents: The multiplication of used chemicals and the complexity of
industrial processes therefore really require increased vigilance regarding the carcinogenic risk they induce. Food industries are not an exception. Cancer is now the
leading cause of death in industrialized countries. Respiratory cancers are the most
frequent occupational cancers: Cancers attributable to asbestos, benzene, ionising
radiations, and wood dust alone account for nearly 90% of work-related cancers.
However, these diseases often take several decades to develop after exposure; their
link with work is therefore not always easy to establish. Employers and workers
must be able to protect themselves from carcinogens. In this respect, chemicals play
a central role in health and safety at work. Therefore, the consideration of health
issues at work can be an opportunity to change the medium-term performance of all
vii