What type of hazard is toluene?
Toluene is a highly flammable liquid and it can cause mild damage to the skin and the eyes. However, the most-common hazard associated with this chemical is inhalation. Products containing toluene can produce dangerous fumes which can cause nausea, headaches, unconsciousness, and even death if inhaled.
How harmful is toluene?
Exposure to toluene can cause eye and nose irritation, tiredness, confusion, euphoria, dizziness, headache, dilated pupils, tears, anxiety, muscle fatigue, insomnia, nerve damage, inflammation of the skin, and liver and kidney damage. Workers may be harmed from exposure to toluene.
What safety precautions must be observed when using toluene?
What Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is needed when working with toluene? Eye/Face Protection: Wear chemical safety goggles and face shield when contact is possible. Skin Protection: Wear chemical protective clothing e.g. gloves, aprons, boots.
What happens if you inhale toluene?
Breathing toluene vapors in small amounts may cause a mild headache, dizziness, drowsiness, or nausea. With more serious exposure, toluene may cause sleepiness, stumbling, irregular heartbeat, fainting, or even death. Toluene vapor is mildly irritating to the skin, eyes, and lungs.
What are the effects of toluene?
Without proper ventilation and safety precautions, toluene can cause irritated eyes, nose, and throat; dry or cracked skin; headache, dizziness, feeling of being drunk, confusion and anxiety.
Why is toluene hazardous?
Health Hazards of Toluene Toluene exposure may cause liver and kidney damage. High concentrations of toluene, usually from use in a confined space or unventilated area, can cause loss of consciousness, respiratory depression and death.
What does toluene do to your brain?
Long-term and intense exposure to toluene vapors in humans who abuse spray paint and related substances has led to the recognition that toluene has a severe impact on central nervous system myelin. Chronic toluene abuse produces a devastating neurological disorder, of which dementia is the most disabling component.
Is toluene prohibited?
Toluene is known as part of the so-called “toxic trio” of dangerous chemicals found in polishes, including formaldehyde, a preservative, and dibutyl phthalate, which gives polish a hard finish. The trio is banned in many foreign countries but is legal in the U.S. if it is listed on the ingredient list.