Human Toxic Chemical Hazard And Risk Assessment - Essay Example

According to a report produced by Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in 2008, this chemical toxin is the widely studied and researched toxin, because of its toxicological effect on humans (Abash, 113). However, according to Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), fungi produced mycotoxins are harmless and helpful to human body. In addition, according to Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Aflatoxins are not harmful if only consumed in very minute quantities. This toxic chemical substance is known to cause acute liver damage and liver cancer (Smith, 33).

The cumulative effect of this toxic chemical substance is what is known to cause the liver diseases and damage. A major concern about this toxin is that it is heat stable. Thus, once produced on food substances such as vegetables, seeds, legumes and nuts, they remain permanently, since no extreme temperatures can destroy the toxins. Any heating or freezing has no impact on the toxic chemical substance (Huddler, 8). ii. . Is this an Acute and/or Chronic threat? The chemical poisoning caused by the consumption of food substances invade by this toxin is acute.

Is this a Systemic and/or Target Organ Threat? The poisoning caused by this toxin is both target organ and systematic. The intoxication is target organ since it affects the liver, causing its damage and causing other liver diseases such as liver cirrhosis, hepatic fibrosis and fatty liver disease (Abash, 125). The intoxication is also systematic since it causes a variety of different cancers on the body, affecting different body parts. The poisoning caused by the toxin can also cause the blockage of small arteries, due to blood clots (Bingham, 591).

Most important, the infection is systematic since the intoxication causes the malfunction of the digestion system. This affects the absorption of nutrients by the body, subsequently affecting the stability of the brain and eventually leading to coma and death. What Are The More Likely (Probable) – Additional, Concurrent Chemical Exposures That May Interact With The Selected Chemical? The Aflatoxins have a probability of interacting with the alkaline substances of the human DNA, thus causing gene mutation.

What Type of Chemical Interactions May Occur With the Additional, Concurrent Toxic Chemicals? The type of chemical reaction likely to occur is intercalation and alkylation of the DNA molecules. iii. Risk assessment This toxic chemical substance cause harm to consumers on the event that they consume food substances, which has this toxic substance in them. The toxin can contaminate the food substance before harvest and during storage (Smith, 27). The