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r1 • depend upon the chemical, the duration of each exposure, and the number of exposures ' The symptoms of an acute exposure may be completely different from those resulting from P Y p Y g chronic exposure For either chronic or acute exposure, the toxic effect may be temporary and reversible, or may be permanent (disability or death) Some chemicals may cause obvious symptoms such as burning, coughing, nausea, tearing eyes or rashes Other chemicals may cause health damage without any such warning signs (this is a particular concern from chronic exposures to low concentrations) Health effects such as cancer or respiratory disease may not become manifested for several years or decades after exposure In addition, some toxic chemicals may be colorless and/or odorless, may dull the sense of smell, or �{ may not produce any immediate or obvious physiological sensations Thus, a worker's senses or feelings cannot be relied upon in all cases to warn of potential toxic exposure The effects of exposure not only depend on the chemical, its concentration, route of entry, and duration of exposure, but may also be influenced by personal factors such as the individual's smoking habits, alcohol consumption, medication use, nutrition, age and sex An important exposure route of concern at a hazardous site is inhalation The lungs are extremely vulnerable to chemical agents Even substances that do not directly affect the lungs may pass through lung tissue into the bloodstream, where they are transported to other vulnerable areas of the body Some toxic chemicals present in the atmosphere may not be detected by human senses, i e they may be colorless, odorless, and their toxic effects may not produce any immediate symptoms Respiratory protection is therefore extremely important if there is a possibility that the work site atmosphere may contain such hazardous substances Chemicals can also enter the respiratory tract through punctured eardrums Where this is a hazard, individuals with punctured eardrums should ' be medically evaluated specifically to determine if such a condition would place them at unacceptable risk and preclude their working at the task in question Direct contact of the skin and eyes by hazardous substances is another important route of exposure Some chemicals directly injure the skin Some pass through the skin into the bloodstream where they are transported to vulnerable organs Skin absorption is S\BFS\STOCKTON\HSP0011 10/15/99 5-3