How toxic is toluene?
What immediate health effects can result from toluene exposure? 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.
Is toluene a teratogen?
A pattern of teratogenicity similar to that of the fetal alcohol syndrome is prevalent in all human studies of excessive in utero exposure to toluene. In humans, the effects of in utero toluene exposure among intentional abusers is confounded by such variables as general health and exposure to other teratogens.
How does toluene affect human health?
Overview. Toluene (C₆H₅CH₃) is a colorless liquid with a sweet, pungent odor. 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.
Why is toluene less toxic than benzene?
What makes toluene and xylene less carcinogenic than benzene? The presence of markedly less-flat methyl group(s) in toluene and the xylenes make them both harder to intercalate DNA.