Which are chemical stressors?

Prepare for the APTA Physical Therapy Test. Utilize multiple choice questions with hints and answers. Achieve excellence in your exam!

Chemical stressors are substances that cause stress to the body through chemical interactions, such as drugs or pollutants that the body has to metabolize or react to. Nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol are chemical agents that affect multiple physiological systems, and air pollutants are chemical exposures that can irritate airways and disrupt cellular processes. The other options describe factors or substances that are not chemical exposures considered stressors in the same sense: exercise, sleep, hydration, and sunlight are lifestyle or environmental factors; water, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide are basic environmental substances essential for life; and protein, carbohydrates, and fats are nutrients. Therefore, the set that lists nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, and air pollutants best represents chemical stressors.