Pentane

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW Appearance clear, colorless liquid. Flash Point -49 deg C Danger! Extremely flammable liquid and vapor. Vapor may cause flash fire. Breathing vapors may cause drowsiness and dizziness. Causes eye and skin irritation. Repeated exposure may cause skin dryness or cracking. Aspiration hazard if swallowed. Can enter lungs and cause damage. May cause respiratory tract irritation. Target Organs: Central nervous system, respiratory system, eyes, skin.

Potential health effects

Eye: Causes eye irritation. Skin: Causes skin irritation. Repeated or prolonged exposure may cause drying and cracking of the skin. Volunteers suffered from painful burning sensations, accompanied by itching, after topical application of pentane; after 5 hours, blisters formed on the treated areas. Ingestion: May cause central nervous system depression, characterized by excitement, followed by headache, dizziness, drowsiness, and nausea. Advanced stages may cause collapse, unconsciousness, coma and possible death due to respiratory failure. Aspiration of material into the lungs may cause chemical pneumonitis, which may be fatal. Inhalation: Inhalation of high concentrations may cause central nervous system effects characterized by nausea, headache, dizziness, unconsciousness and coma. May cause respiratory tract irritation. Vapors may cause dizziness or suffocation. Chronic: Prolonged or repeated skin contact may cause defatting and dermatitis. Chronic exposure to vapors may produce polyneuropathy. The possibility that chronic exposure to very high concentrations may lead to polyneuropathy cannot be ruled out altogether, despite the substantially lower toxicity of pentane, in comparison with hexane and its neurotoxicity.