How do you treat lewisite exposure?
How lewisite exposure is treated. Treatment consists of removing lewisite from the body as soon as possible and providing supportive medical care in a hospital setting. An antidote for lewisite is available and is most useful if given as soon as possible after exposure.
What happens when you inhale benzene?
People who breathe in high levels of benzene may develop the following signs and symptoms within minutes to several hours: Drowsiness. Dizziness. Rapid or irregular heartbeat.
How many ppm is benzene harmful?
Brief exposure (5–10 minutes) to very high levels of benzene in air (10,000–20,000 ppm) can result in death. Lower levels (700–3,000 ppm) can cause drowsiness, dizziness, rapid heart rate, headaches, tremors, confusion, and unconsciousness.
What is the antidote for lewisite?
ANTIDOTE: British Anti-Lewisite (BAL; dimercaprol) binds to the arsenic in lewisite to decrease the toxicity of this agent. BAL is given by intramuscular (IM) injection as an antidote for whole-body (systemic) health effects of lewisite but has no effect on local lesions of the skin, eyes, or airways.
What does lewisite react with?
Chemical reactions Lewisite, like other arsenous chlorides, hydrolyses in water to form hydrochloric acid and chlorovinylarsenous oxide (a less-powerful blister agent): Lewisite reacts with metals to form hydrogen gas. It is combustible, but difficult to ignite.
Which signs and symptoms should you expect in a patient with nitrogen mustard exposure?
Immediate signs and symptoms of nitrogen mustard exposure Skin: redness usually develops within several hours after exposure followed by blistering within 6 to 12 hours. Eyes: irritation, pain, swelling, and tearing may occur. High concentrations can cause burns and blindness.
Is benzene poisonous to humans?
Benzene poisoning can be lethal because it causes the cells in the body to work incorrectly. Benzene exposure can cause bone marrow cells to not produce red blood cells or it can can cause the white blood cells of your immune system to fail.
How do you get exposed to benzene?
How are people exposed to benzene? People are exposed to benzene primarily by breathing air that contains the chemical. Workers in industries that produce or use benzene may be exposed to the highest levels of the chemical, although federal and state regulations have reduced these exposures in recent decades.
How are we exposed to benzene?
Is lewisite a mustard gas?
If you had contact with mustard gas (also known as sulfur mustard, yperite, or nitrogen mustard) or lewisite, a natural compound that contains the poison arsenic, you may have certain related long-term illnesses.