Human Health Implications of Prolonged Contact To

Toluene by Jo Alelsto
Toluene is a very important solvent in many industries. However, it must be handled with proper
care and the right storage practiced because it can be pretty volatile and when mishandled, toluene
can become trinitrotoluene which is very dangerous and explosive.
You may be exposed to toluene through inhaling contaminated air in your workplace or breathing in
car exhaust fumes, working with kerosene, gasoline, paints, and lacquers, drinking contaminated
water, contact with contaminated soil, and living near unsupervised hazardous wastes sites dealing
with toluene and similar products.
Any substance is considered toxic or hazardous when it enters or may enter the environment and
have direct and long term effects on the environment, or when it poses a danger to the environment
on which human life is dependent, or when it creates an immediate threat to human life or health.
Toluene inhalation poses the greatest health hazard to the human central nervous system (CNS).
Headache and slight sleepiness has been reported when individuals were exposed to about 50 ppm
(parts per million) while reports of irritation of the nose, throat and respiratory tract are not unusual
to those exposed to between 50 and 100 ppm of toluene.
A higher concentration, at 100 ppm, for example causes fatigue and vertigo; at 200 ppm, numbness,
mild nausea, and symptoms similar to drunkenness are experienced, and at over 500 ppm, toluene
inhalation can result to mental confusion and poor coordination. Still higher concentrations, those
reaching 10,000 ppm or more can be severely fatal.
There is a serious health concern on the fact that toluene can have a very big impact on your brain
as well as you neurobehavioral performance. Studies have determined that high levels of toluene
exposure can result to a decrease in the performance on complicated tasks as well as longer
response time.
Long exposure to toluene can result to dry, itchy and red skin or dermatitis. It can also considerably
contribute to the level of overall exposure since toluene can be absorbed through the skin and into
the bloodstream. Prolonged contact to toluene can cause eye irritation, sometimes accompanied by
redness and pain. Studies, however, have been inconclusive as to whether toluene can result to color
vision disorders.
There have been reports of individuals as well as animals exposed to toluene for long durations that
experienced hearing loss or have developed hearing problems, but these are not enough evidence
for a direct relationship between long exposure to toluene and hearing loss. Common medications
such as aspirin and acetaminophen taken during exposure to toluene can enhance the negative
effects of toluene on your sense of hearing.
There is acute central nervous system breakdown in cases of accidental ingestion of toluene and this
can also be fatal. Accidental swallowing of toluene exhibits the same symptoms as those of toluene
inhalation in addition to abdominal pain and spasms.
Kidney and liver disorders may arise from a long exposure to very high concentrations of toluene.
You should also avoid drinking alcoholic drinks since this combination has a dramatic effect on your
liver more than each compound alone.
Nonetheless, toluene is not considered to be carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research
on Cancer. The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists and the US National
Toxicology Program also arrived to the same classification and have not listed toluene among human
carcinogens.
Toluene has a moderate health rating, severe flammability rating, slight reactivity rating and a
severe contact rating as stated in the SAF-T-DATA ratings. It is very important that personal safety
equipments are given to those who handle the compound. Proper storage and maintenance should
also be given due attention and caution.