Isopropyl Alcohol Poisoning: When Too Much Of Everything Can Be Bad

By Author: Jo Alelsto
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Personal hygiene is part of our everyday routine. We take a bath daily, brush our teeth at least three times a day and bring our stock of personal hygiene supplies like alcohol, hand sanitizer and a roll of tissue.

Known by its other chemical names as propan-1-ol, 2-propanol, and isopropanol, isopropyl alcohol is more commonly known as rubbing alcohol which is a familiar item inside everyone's bag. Isopropyl alcohol is a colorless substance with a strong odor.

It is produced by combining water with propene, one of the simplest and most abundant hydrocarbons in nature. This is usually done in one step using a catalyst and water at high pressure. It has two possible structural isomers: 1-propanol (n-propyl alcohol) and 2-propanol (isopropyl alcohol).

Isopropyl alcohol or isopropanol is a common solvent used in many industrial applications. It is widely used in the production of glycerol, shellacs, acetone, and quick drying inks. It is also used in body rubs, after-shave and hand lotions, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. It is used as a solvent for gums, resins, cellulose, coatings, alkaloids and essential ...
... oils. It also serves as a deicing agent for lacquers, liquid fuels and extraction processes.

It has satisfactory antimicrobial, virucide, bactericide and fungicide capacity and is extensively used in hospitals, laboratories, food processing plants, and eating establishments for sterilization and disinfection. It is used for topical disinfectant in households, farms, veterinary clinics as well as in barbershops for washing hair cutting and styling instruments due to its effective antiseptic properties.

Isopropyl alcohol should be kept out of reach of children because of a high risk of poisoning. Isopropyl alcohol poisoning has the following symptoms: dizziness, headache, nausea and vomiting, coma and CNS depression. Poisoning can result from oral ingestion, inhalation, and dermal absorption.

In industrial applications, handling isopropanol must be done with caution and proper personal safety gear. Although isopropyl alcohol is generally safe, there is a high risk for poisoning when used in an industrial setting.

Oral ingestion of more than 20 ml may have toxic effects and this is the most common route of exposure. Inhalation of isopropyl alcohol vapors is also a common way of poisoning. The short term exposure is 500 ppm. When handling concentrations above this, personal safety equipment must be worn and all safety precautions must be observed. At a level of 12,000 ppm, isopropyl alcohol vapors are extremely dangerous to human health as well as human life.

Isopropanol, in both liquid and solvent forms, can be severely irritating to the eyes and mucous membranes. It is a strong central nervous system depressant and in large quantities, it can result to cardiovascular depression. Acetone, a metabolite of isopropyl alcohol is also a CNS depressant and this result to delayed symptoms of CNS depression.

On the other hand, isopropanol has been determined to be non-carcinogenic in animal experiments. However, there has been proof that it may potentially cause skeletal malformations and decreased birth weights as demonstrated in pregnant rats exposed to high levels of isopropanol.

In the household setting, isopropyl alcohol is an ordinary item inside the medicine cabinet since its antiseptic properties are highly useful when minor accidents occur. Most commonly used for cleaning small wounds and abrasions. Do not overdo isopropyl alcohol sponging on children for control of fever since this can lead to mild poisoning through dermal absorption.

There is the cliché that goes: too much of a good thing can be bad for you and this certainly applies to using isopropyl alcohol or isopropanol. Whether you are using it at home or you are handling it and are exposed to its occupational hazards, always remember to observe safety precautions.
Jo is a writer for ‘ReAgent Chemical Services Ltd' (http://www.reagent.co.uk), a reputable UK based chemical manufacturer that manufactures, carries and supplies an enormous selection of high quality chemical products as well as specialty chemicals, analytical laboratory chemicals and solid chemicals. If your firm is seeking superior quality organic solvents for instance Propan-2-ol or has other industrial chemical needs for applications like chemical syntheses, analytical applications and cleaning then take a look at ReAgent Chemical Services Ltd.