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.