Particularly frequent in the workplace are skin lesions from many different causes and pulmonary diseases related to the inhalation of various dusts, such as coal dust , cotton dust , asbestos fibers , and silica dust . Environmental agents can also cause biological effects without overt clinical illness . The health significance of such subclinical changes is not yet clear. The regulation of workplace practices and of potential environmental pollution has evolved as the use of chemicals and human exposure to potential toxins have grown more widespread and complex in modern society. In the United States, numerous laws are directed at protecting occupational and environmental health. Most were passed since 1960, including the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1979. Means for the rapid cleanup of toxic waste dumps were provided in the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980. Federal agencies responsible for enforcing such environmental and occupational health laws consist principally of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration within the Department of Labor.
The Food and Drug Administration, within the Department of Health and Human Services , and the Department of Agriculture have regulatory responsibility for preventing the contamination of food supplies. Federal field investigations of potential environmental and occupational hazards are handled through the Center for Environmental Health and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which are components of the Centers for Disease Control, within HHS. General environmental health research and toxicological testing are directed through the National Institutes of Health and the National Toxicology Program, also within HHS. Comparable regulations and agencies at state and local levels, working with their federal counterparts, play a crucial role as well. International coordination of environmental and occupational control activities in many countries is guided through the World Health Organization. In the developing parts of the world, such activities are of critical importance as modern industrialization proceeds in the face of poverty and growing populations. Current trends in research in this field focus on the relation of low-dose exposures to human health, the influence of environmental toxins on both male and female reproductive functions, and the potential health implications of subclinical indications of biological damage . In such research, increased emphasis is being placed on delayed or long-term health effects and on a wide range of potential synergistic interactions between environments and hosts.
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