Hi Bill---

Excellent post--We had a spate of tolulene poisoning among the caulkers
in my window crew back in the mid-eighties---I was lucky not to be
washing my hands and tools in the stuff daily, but the guys who did that
have severe health problems to this day, involving hyper-sensitivity to
most every volatile hydrocarbon---they get sick at gas stations, or when
the wife removes her nailpolish, like that. It got 'em all in the
kidneys and liver at first, IIRC, involving some pretty extensive
medical treatments back then, and keeps 'em guessing and upset to this
day. None of them have cancer though, so far.

  There is, apparently, some dispute about whether or not tobacco causes
  cancer. It certainly causes a lot of disputes here at home, that's for
  sure. All petroleum distillates seem to be marked with a disclaimer
  that says "Known by the State of California to cause cancer" or words
  to that effect....are they better-informed there? stay as away as you
  can from all of it---gam you wrote: You might be surprised at how few
  chemicals are known - or
> even "suspected" - to be carcinogenic.=A0 And it also depends on whose
> definition of "carcinogen" you're using.=A0 In the USA, for example,
> several federal agencies rely on the International Agency for Research
> on Cancer (IARC) classifications.=A0>> Benzene = yes.=A0 It's one of
> the few chemicals actually known to be carcinogenic.>> Xylene, I don't
> think so, but I'd have to check.=A0 Toluene, also not so sure.=A0>>
> The big problem with most of the volatile organics is acute
> toxicity.=A0 Organic solvents dissolve lipids.=A0 As such they can
> cause central nervous system damage and have affects on target organs
> - e.g., kidney, liver, etc.=A0>> And there's simple overexposure
> causing you to essentially become "drunk" from the vapors.
>> None of them are good for you, and you'd have to be exposed
> to a LOT to die right away.=A0 Basically it's a good idea to keep
> exposure as low as you can.=A0 Common sense protection is to wear
> gloves (these all will de-fat your skin), wear eye protection, use in
> a well-ventilated area (outdoors), keep your face away from the stuff,
> and if you're going to use a lot of the stuff or do any spraying, wear
> a properly-fitting respirator with organic vapor cartridges.=A0>> Oh
> yeah - methanol is poisonus - and it absorbs quickly and readily
> through your lungs, mucous membranes and skin.
>> Funny thing is, most people don't understand how dangerous
> gasoline actually is, because it seems like such a common, everday
> thing.=A0 But it contains benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and
> other lovelies - in addition to having a flashpoint something like 50
> degrees below 0
> F.=A0=A0=A0
>> - Bill T.
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