What are the hazards of organic solvents?

① Neurotoxicity. Common solvents are aliphatic hydrocarbons (n-hexane, pentane, gasoline), aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, styrene, butyl toluene, vinyl toluene), chlorinated hydrocarbons (trichloroethylene, dichloromethane), carbon disulfide, tri-o-cresol phosphate and so on. There are three kinds of damage to nervous system caused by organic solvents: the first is toxic neurasthenia and autonomic nervous dysfunction. Patients may have dizziness, headache, insomnia, dreaminess, lethargy, weakness, memory loss, loss of appetite, emaciation, hyperhidrosis, emotional instability, accelerated or decelerated heartbeat, blood pressure fluctuation, skin temperature drop or bilateral limb temperature asymmetry. The second is toxic peripheral neuritis. Most of them are sensory, followed by mixed type. There may be numbness of limbs, hypoesthesia, tingling, weakness of limbs, muscle atrophy and other manifestations; The third is toxic encephalopathy, which is relatively rare and can be seen in severe acute and chronic poisoning of organic solvents such as carbon disulfide, benzene and gasoline.

② Blood toxicity. Aromatic hydrocarbons, especially benzene, are the most common. When benzene reaches a certain dose, it can inhibit the hematopoietic function of bone marrow, often with leukopenia first, then thrombocytopenia, and finally with erythropenia, which becomes pancytopenia. Individual exposure to benzene in sensitive people may lead to leukemia.

③ Hepatorenal toxicity. More common in chlorinated hydrocarbon organic solvents, such as chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, trichloropropane, dichloroethane and other poisoning. The pathological changes of toxic hepatitis are mainly fatty liver and hepatocyte necrosis. Clinically, there may be liver pain, loss of appetite, weakness, emaciation, hepatosplenomegaly, abnormal liver function and so on. The renal damage caused by organic solvents is mostly tubular, which leads to proteinuria and progressive decline of renal function.

④ Skin and mucous membrane irritation. Most organic solvents have different degrees of irritation to skin and mucosa, but ketones and esters are the main ones. Can cause respiratory inflammation, bronchial asthma, contact and allergic dermatitis, eczema, conjunctivitis and so on.