Occupational Skin Damage and Injury

Everyday across the country workers from all different forms of work are all in close contact with toxic agents and chemicals that could potential harm the user. While working with these items one is put into a dangerous situation regardless of how much protection is available around them. While using these chemicals it is very important for one to watch where the chemical come into contact with because skin exposure is one of the leading risk of contamination in the united states. It is estimated that more than 13 million workers in the United States are potentially exposed to chemicals that can be absorbed through the skin.  Dermal exposure to hazardous agents can result in a variety of occupational diseases and disorders, including occupational skin diseases (OSD) and systemic toxicity. Of all the occupations in the world today the leading fields with the most amount of occupational skin diseases are food service, cosmetology, health care, agriculture, cleaning, painting, mechanics and construction jobs due to the fact that most of the work required to be done is still done mostly by hands. The skin while it may not be noticed is actually the largest organ in the human body accounting for over ten percent of the bodies mass. There are currently four different means of contamination when it comes to the skin. The first is chemical agent which is the most basic type due to the fact of the amount of chemicals present in the world and how easy they are to be contacted by the skin. The second form of contamination are physical agents such as extreme hot or cold temperatures and the radiation including the sun and UV rays that come from it. The third and fourth types of contamination are mechanical which includes frictions and cuts of any sorts and biological which include parasites and other organic materials.