Principles of Toxicology
Name:
Tutor:
Course:
Number:
Date:
Principles of Toxicology
Conflicts in Risk Assessment: Analysis of medical agents used in health promotion and treatment.
Question of focus for the essay: Is the use of medical agnts safe enough to prolong life or it also disrupts major biological and physiological processes and functions?
The emergence and discovery of modern methods and modes of treatment has been very instrumental towards the prolonging of life of most people. This directly contrasts the ancient times when people were very apt and prone to contracting illnesses due to the unsanitary techniques used in treatment (Chau et al, 2014). The modern era has witnessed a wave of revolution in health care such that an ocean of medication can now be used to remedy the same illness. However, the ethical concerns and efficacy of most medicines remains questionable owing to their adverse drug reactions in the body (Rice et al, 2015).
Principles of toxicology dictate that agents used to treat infections, illnesses or diseases should have minimal effect on the human host and maximum effect on the causative agent of the disease (Pavey et al, 2015). There are many queries and concerns that have been raised when certain chemicals are introduced as remedies into a health issue. For instance, fluorine is commonly used to treat water and eliminate pathogenic microflora that may easily establish infections in the human body (Kadiyala and Tan, 2013). However, the same fluorine is also dangerous since if used in excess, it can lead to teeth discoloration or bring about hormonal imbalance in the body.
These side effects can be dangerous to a person who suffers from a hormonal disorder such as poor serotonin absorption. Another example is where the use of hydrocortisone is prescribed as an anti-inflammatory drug (Zhang et al, 2014). However, the same chemical is known to damage the melanin pigment of the skin that is very important in protecting the body from harmful radiation. Therefore, an equilibrium point should be established and agreed at what level is it safe to use certain chemicals so that toxicological effects are minimized.
Policies and Regulations That Can Help in Revising the Principles of Toxicology
The best and most suitable approach that can be recommended in this case is the introduction of a policy or act of law that would govern the use of toxic agents and chemicals. For instance, an Act of Law would define the chemical or agent in question and then go ahead to outline its benefits to the human body (Zhang et al, 2014). Additionally, this act would also include the hazards or side effects of using this agent on a continued basis or in excess. At the same time, the policy would also oversee the use of controversial chemicals and dictate their application within various situations. This information can be communicated to the larger public through a gazette notice that would outline them in meticulous detail.
The introduction of a policy that strictly or solely deals with toxic agents would easily capture the attention of the public. If a person is made away that cortisone as a chemical can inhibit or impair the melanin pigment, then they would become more concerned about it. This would mean gathering information on how this chemical works in the body and at what point it is bound to elicit an adverse drug reaction (Zhang et al, 2014). Additionally, the policy should be deliberated within a public forum such that people are included in the official process of reducing toxicological effects of controversial chemical agents.
Conclusively, medicines and treatment agents have highly transformed human lives by prolonging it for a couple of years. However, some of them introduce toxic effects in the body and that is why policies and government acts should be implemented to mitigate such negative effects.
References
Chau, M. M., Kong, D. M., Hal, S. J., Urbancic, K., Trubiano, J. A., Cassumbhoy, M., & … Worth, L. J. (2014). Consensus guidelines for optimising antifungal drug delivery and monitoring to avoid toxicity and improve outcomes in patients with haematological malignancy, 2014. Internal Medicine Journal, 44(12b), 1364-1388. doi:10.1111/imj.12600
Kadiyala, I., & Tan, E. (2013). Formulation approaches in mitigating toxicity of orally administrated drugs. Pharmaceutical Development & Technology, 18(2), 305-312. doi:10.3109/10837450.2012.734516
Pavey, R. A., Kambil, S. M., & Bhat, R. M. (2015). Dermatological adverse reactions to cancer chemotherapy. Indian Journal Of Dermatology, Venereology & Leprology, 81(4), 433. doi:10.4103/0378-6323.15995
Rice, H., Dalton, C. H., Price, M. E., Graham, S. J., Green, A. C., Jenner, J., & … Timperley, C. M. (2015). Toxicity and medical countermeasure studies on the organophosphorus nerve agents VM and VX. Proceedings Of The Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical & Engineering Sciences, 471(2176), 1-14. doi:10.1098/rspa.2014.0891
Zhang, J. D., Berntenis, N., Roth, A., & Ebeling, M. (2014). Data mining reveals a network of early-response genes as a consensus signature of drug-induced in vitro and in vivo toxicity. Pharmacogenomics Journal, 14(3), 208-216. doi:10.1038/tpj.2013.39