HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES: CLASSIFICATION, IMPACT, AND PROTECTIVE MEASURES IN THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY

Аннотация

The article investigates hazardous substances, their classification, and protective measures against their impact in chemical industry settings. The introduction highlights the health risks posed by chemical substances during production, noting their potential to contaminate workplace air, skin, and surfaces. According to GOST 12.1.007, hazardous substances are classified into four hazard classes based on an analysis of indicators such as maximum permissible concentration (MPC), median lethal dose (LD50), and inhalation poisoning probability coefficient (CVIO). The methods involve analyzing standards and toxicity metrics, as well as examining pathways of substance entry into the body (respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, skin). The results show that acute poisoning occurs at high concentrations, while chronic poisoning develops from prolonged accumulation of substances likelead and mercury. Keywords:hazardous substances, toxicity, hazard classification, MPC, acute poisoning, chronic poisoning, chemical industry, occupational safety. Introduction: During production processes in chemical enterprises, workers come into contact with chemicals in various forms. These substances can be as preliminary, intermediate, additive or final products, as well as in the form of gases, vapors, liquids, dust, mist or aerosols [1]. These substances can contaminate the air, clothing and skin in the workplace, as well as the surface of walls, floors and equipment, causing serious harmful effects on human health. Gost 12.1.007 " harmful substances. In accordance with the standard” classification and general safety requirements", a harmful substance is defined as a substance that can cause production injuries, occupational diseases or deviations in health when safety requirements are violated in contact with the human body. This effect poses a threat not only to the current generation, but also tothe long-term health of subsequent generations identified bymodern methods [2]. In industrial conditions, harmful substances can cause acute and chronic poisoning, depending on their properties and conditions of action (concentration, dose, time). Acute poisoning occurs as a result of accidents, technological conditions or violations of safety requirements, and often develops immediately after contact with substances or after a latent period (6-8 hours to several days). In such cases, harmful substances enter the body in high quantities, for example, tens or hundreds of times higher than the maximum permissible concentration in the air of the workplace. Chronic poisoning, on the other hand, occurs as a page2010 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ISSN:2692-5206,ImpactFactor:12,23 AmericanAcademicpublishers,volume05,issue05,2025 Journal: https://www.academicpublishers.org/journals/index.php/ijai result of the accumulation of substances that enter the body in small quantities, but for a long time. This article aims to present research results on the classification of harmful substances, the mechanisms of their action on the human body, the assessment of the level of risk and ensuring safety in chemical enterprises[2-3]. The goal is to determine effective methods of protection against harmful substances in industrial conditions and draw conclusions on measures toreduce theirnegative consequences. Methods: Study GOST 12.1.007 “harmful substances. Classification and general safety requirements” and gost 12.1.005 are based on standards such as “general sanitary and hygienic requirements for workplace Air” [3]. A number of indicators have been analyzed to classify harmful substances and determine theirlevel ofdanger. These include: 1. The maximum permissible concentration (MPC) in the workplace air is the amount of non — health-damaging substance during the 8-hour daily work hours (no more than 41 hours perweek), expressed inmg/m³. 2. The average lethal dose (DL50) when administered to the stomach is a single dose, mg/kg, which causes 50%ofanimal deaths. 3. The average lethal dose (DL50) when applied to the skin is a dose that causes 50% of animal deaths when applied once ontheskin, mg/kg. 4. The average death concentration in the air (CL50) is a concentration, mg/m³, that causes 50%ofanimal deaths after 2-4 hours of respiratory exposure. 5. The coefficient of probability of respiratory poisoning (CVIO) is the ratio of MPC to CL50 at 20°C. 6. Acute and chronic exposure zones-the acute zone is calculated as the ratio of mean lethal concentration to minimum exposure concentration, while the chronic zone is calculated as theratio ofminimum harmful concentrations in long-term exposure[4]. These indicators were systematized on the basis of Table 1 and became the basis for the classification of harmful substances into four risk classes. The study also examined the toxicity of substances, the pathways of entry into the body (respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, skin), types of joint effects (positive synergy, negative synerg