A causal agent is a factor that can trigger a disease.
An agent is one or something that has the ability to act or produce something. Causal , on the other hand, is something linked to a cause (a reason, a motivation or a foundation).
The causal agent is the factor found in the environment that, due to its characteristics, can cause a health disorder in a host . These agents are causal since they are the reason, direct or indirect, for the development of a disease.
It is worth remembering that, in the field of biology, a host is an organism that, on its surface or inside, houses another organism with which it maintains some type of link. A parasite, for example, lodges in its host .
Classification of causal agents
The causal agents, in this framework, can be biological agents , chemical agents , mechanical agents or physical agents and can cause a disease in the host organism. These agents generate alterations in functional aspects, injuries and other inconveniences or damages.
Biological agents are also known as bioagents and are organisms, such as a virus, a fungus, a parasite or a bacteria, or any biological material , such as a toxin, capable of producing disorders in the health of beings. humans, each one with different, well-defined consequences.
It is worth mentioning that in the context of so-called biological wars, humans can use biological agents to create very harmful weapons, something that is also a fundamental element of bioterrorism . On our planet we can find more than 1200 kinds of biological agents.
Among the causative agents are biological agents such as bacteria and viruses.
HIV and AIDS
The human immunodeficiency virus , known by the acronym HIV , is the causative agent of AIDS (the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ). When this virus lodges in a human being, it can trigger the aforementioned syndrome. This causal agent is transmitted between people sexually, through breastfeeding or through contact with infected blood (by sharing a syringe, for example).
There are various social mechanisms for the control of causal agents. In the case of HIV , work is being done to prevent infection (promoting the use of condoms in sexual relations, the use of disposable needles, etc.) and to provide antiretroviral medications for the treatment of AIDS .
Chemical causal agents
Chemical agents , for their part, should not be confused with the previous ones, since they are all chemical compounds that are used in a work activity, that have been discharged into nature or distributed through commerce, either in their natural state. or having gone through some type of industrial process.
Although all causal agents cause certain risks in common, such as diseases, chemicals are distinguished by including explosions and fires, among others, in this list. In the workplace, we can differentiate three fundamental situations in which chemical agents can harm people's health:
* constant or very frequent exposure : for example, in a work environment where there is normally vapor from some toxic compound;
* accidental exposure : this can occur through the escape of a toxic gas outside the safe area, or the spill of certain corrosive liquids, among other cases;
* without exposure : an explosion or a fire as a result of a causal agent are clear examples.
Energy manifestations
Physical agents , for their part, are very common in the workplace, regardless of the field. These are manifestations of energy capable of harming workers , and this includes noise, vibrations, extreme temperatures and radiation .
Spending several hours a day in an office where the air conditioning generates a temperature that is too low, or in an environment where noise is constant and at intensities above the norms, can lead to a large number of diseases of varying severity.