Explain three classifications of airborne toxics

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

With all airborne contaminants, concentration and duration of exposure are critical concerns.
Irritants
Irritants are substances that cause irritation to the skin, eyes, and the inner lining of the nose, mouth, throat, and upper respiratory tract. However, they produce no irreversible damage.
Asphyxiants
Asphyxiants are substances that can disrupt breathing so severely that suffocation results. Asphyxiants may be simple or chemical in nature. A simple asphyxiant is an inert gas that dilutes oxygen in the air to the point that the body cannot take in enough air to satisfy its needs for oxygen. Common simple asphyxiants include carbon dioxide, ethane, helium, hydrogen, methane, and nitrogen. Chemical asphyxiants, by chemical action, interfere with the passage of oxygen into the blood or the movement of oxygen from the lungs to body tissues. Either way, the end result is suffocation due to insufficient or no oxygenation. Common chemical asphyxiants include carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, and hydrogen sulfide.
Narcotics/Anesthetics
Narcotics and anesthetics are similar in that carefully controlled dosages can inhibit the normal operation of the central nervous system without causing serious or irreversible effects. This makes them particularly valuable in a medical setting. Dentists and physicians use narcotics and anesthetics to control pain before and after surgery. However, if the concentration of the dose is too high, narcotics and anesthetics can cause unconsciousness and even death. When this happens, death is the result of asphyxiation. Widely used narcotics and anesthetics include acetone, methyl-ethyl-ketone, acetylene hydrocarbons, ether, and chloroform.