Risk Assessment For Malathion

This unit is trying to illustrate how harmful potential hazard can be within our environment and the danger it can cause.

Environmental conditions can directly impact one’s health and safety. Davis explains, that primary prevention through assessments of the home and community are

• Investigate reasons for hazard and what preventative measures may need to be taken in thefuture

Risks assessments will identify any hazards and/or dangers and who might be harmed and how this may happen, allow the risks to be evaluated and check if the precautions are

Malathion is an insecticide used on crops, residential areas, pet flea and tick collars and even in lice shampoo to control insects. In the right doses it’s generally harmless; however, being a toxin is never risk-free. There are many possible health issues that exposure can bring. Respiratory problems and nervous system issues are a few serious ones. More basic effects can be irritation, nausea and rashes.

Also depicted in this paper is the type of cancers caused by each chemical and other related health problems associated with each chemical. Finally, the role of government agencies such as FDA, EPA and OSHA in preventing excessive amount or zero amounts of toxic chemicals from entering the environment will be discussed. The last paragraphs will enumerate the inferred conclusion from my research on Agent Orange, DDT and Benzene.

Some of the risks are getting cancer from the inhaling Malathion once it is airborne. You also have the factor of it getting on our children, especially out toddlers. We have the largest corn field in the county right behind the middle school. What about that? Tests have shown that Malathion case cause Asthma, trouble breathing and shortness of breath. I believe it is too much of a danger for our families and the members of this community. We must find another pesticide to use for our crops.

Health and Safety Executive (n.d.2) explain five steps of risk assessment that are ‘identify the hazards, decide who might be harmed and how, evaluate the risks and decide on precautions, record your significant findings, and review your assessment and update if necessary’.

Risk assessments are used to identify potential harm to an individual or persons. This identifies the possibility of a hazards and helps to reduce the possibility of harm, they are put in place to safeguard individuals. Risk assessments are reviewed and can be added to or changed if necessary

In Shreveport, LA, many residents suffer from respiratory issues that they believe are caused by the local refinery, Calumet (Moskowitz). Residents have suffered for generations losing family members to cancer that they believe is brought on by pollution that the refinery emits. Some residents suffer lesser but chronic health issues ranging from minor respiratory issues like asthma to blood clots in their lungs. “Calumet denies that its refinery is the cause of any of these health issues” (Moskowitz). Many chemicals that are released by refineries can cause respiratory problems, cancer, nerve damage, and in some cases even death. There is no absolute way to be sure that all health problems happening near Calumet are caused by the pollution that it emits, but it could be a contributing factor in worsening symptoms. A resident of Marrero, LA, a town south of Norco refining, stated that they could not leave their house due to excess levels of pollution triggering asthma attacks (Ludwig). Sulfur dioxide is a known chemical that can trigger asthma attacks, it is also one of the many harmful chemicals that can be released by refineries (Sturgis). Refineries will measure levels of emissions when there is a chemical spill, so they know almost exactly how much pollution they have emitted. Minor incidents are not always reported or are under reported, but they can have the same damaging effects on the environment and the overall health of the community (Sturgis). “LABB’s reports confirms what workers and residents have known for years-petrochemical companies to often skirt the laws for reporting serious incidents”

The next piece of evidence showing environmental determinants to health is the air samples taken from the African American community’s residents. Moreover, the air samples taken from the Norco residents living close to the refinery show higher levels of toluidine and benzene, known cancer and disease causing chemicals, than averages from the rest

It involves a systematic approach to the identification and characterization of physical, chemical, and biologic hazards to individuals and populations in their environment. The consequences of such hazards can include severe illness or injury, an irreversible health consequence, an unfamiliar disease, and an undesirable situation that might have been avoided by use of an alternative approach or technology. Risk assessments typically require that attention be given first to the most important hazards, that is, the ones that can result in the worst health-related outcomes.

Discussion: Ms.Kisela reported that Malachi behavior is stable at home and in school. She reported that she has been unable to schedule Malachi EKG because of Logistic care unreliability. Ms. Kisela (Grandmother) stated that no changes in medication. Malachi continues to excel academically, he has acquired a lot of awards as a result.

An assessment of the risks to health arising from the use of hazardous substances at work and deciding what precautions are needed,

Malachite was broken down into small pieces and mixed with charcoal as a fuel in a fire, which was in a shallow pit or on the ground.