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Health Effects of Xylene

Xylene, a chemical found naturally in coal and petroleum, is a colorless, sweet-smelling, flammable liquid. Xylene can be found in man-made items such as solvent, paint, paint thinners and varnish. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines a permissible exposure limit of 100 parts per million (ppm) in the air; humans can smell xylene at 1 ppm, which, according to the OSHA, provides “adequate warning properties.” When encountered in normal doses, xylene has minimal, if any, effects. Long-term exposure or overexposure to xylene, on the other hand, can have severe and lasting health effects.

  1. Eyes and Face

    • Long-term exposure to xylene, as well as high-level exposure to the chemical (200 ppm or greater for more than 10 minutes), can cause eye irritation. Nose and throat irritation are also common for extended contact with xylene.

    Brain and Central Nervous System

    • Intense levels of xylene can have harsher effects on one’s brain, starting with headaches and dizziness. Further effects include confusion, loss of balance, lack of muscle control, slowed reaction times and memory lapses.

    Stomach and Lungs

    • Overexposure to xylene has caused nausea, anorexia and vomiting in humans. Additionally, people who have inhaled xylene have experienced difficulty breathing and lung problems.

    Kidneys and Liver

    • Chronic exposure to excessive amounts of xylene have caused kidney and liver damage in two documented cases. For both cases, the people were exposed to approximately 10,000 ppm--100 times the OSHA’s permissible exposure limit--for 18.5 hours. But another individual with the same exposure was not so lucky.

    Death

    • OSHA documents one instance of death caused by overexposure to xylene. The individual in question was exposed to the same 10,000 ppm of xylene for 18.5 hours as the individuals with kidney and liver failure.

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