Which statement correctly pairs a major exposure route with a typical hazard?

Which statement correctly pairs a major exposure route with a typical hazard?

• A. Inhalation — asbestos fibers causing lung disease
• B. Ingestion — solvents penetrating skin
• C. Dermal absorption — lead-containing dust
• D. Inhalation — lead-containing dust

Answer: (A)

The main idea is how a hazardous substance most commonly enters the body and what health effect that route typically produces. Asbestos is notorious for being inhaled as tiny fibers from the air in workplaces. When those fibers are inhaled, they lodge in the lungs and pleura, leading to lung diseases such as asbestosis, pleural changes, and an elevated risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma. That makes inhalation the major exposure route for asbestos and the associated typical hazard of lung disease. The other options mix routes and hazards that don’t align with the usual exposure pattern. Solvents can affect the body through dermal absorption, inhalation, or ingestion, but pairing ingestion with solvents penetrating skin is inconsistent because “solvents penetrating skin” describes dermal absorption, not ingestion. Lead-containing dust is mainly a problem via ingestion (hand-to-mouth) or inhalation of dust, not primarily through dermal absorption, making that pairing incorrect. Lead inhalation is possible, but ingestion is the dominant exposure route for lead hazards, so inhalation with lead-containing dust isn’t the best general pairing.

The main idea is how a hazardous substance most commonly enters the body and what health effect that route typically produces. Asbestos is notorious for being inhaled as tiny fibers from the air in workplaces. When those fibers are inhaled, they lodge in the lungs and pleura, leading to lung diseases such as asbestosis, pleural changes, and an elevated risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma. That makes inhalation the major exposure route for asbestos and the associated typical hazard of lung disease.

The other options mix routes and hazards that don’t align with the usual exposure pattern. Solvents can affect the body through dermal absorption, inhalation, or ingestion, but pairing ingestion with solvents penetrating skin is inconsistent because “solvents penetrating skin” describes dermal absorption, not ingestion. Lead-containing dust is mainly a problem via ingestion (hand-to-mouth) or inhalation of dust, not primarily through dermal absorption, making that pairing incorrect. Lead inhalation is possible, but ingestion is the dominant exposure route for lead hazards, so inhalation with lead-containing dust isn’t the best general pairing.