m-Xylene

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

Flammability Toxicity (2) Health Body Contact © Flammability Reactivity ©) Chronic 1 2 3 4 Fire Diamond Min Low Moderate High Extreme ANSI Signal Word Warning! Flammable youve Emergency Overview 0% Clear, sweet smelling liquid. Irritating to eyes/skin/respiratory tract. Other Acute Effects: dizziness, nausea, drowsiness. Chronic Effects: dermatitis, kidney/liver/peripheral nerve damage. May cause birth defects (animal data). Flammable.

Potential health effects

Target Organs: central nervous system (CNS), eyes, gastrointestinal (GI) tract, liver, kidneys, skin

Principle Routes of Exposure

inhalation, skin absorption (slight), eye contact, ingestion Acute Effects Inhalation: Xylene is a central nervous system depressant. The vapor is discomforting to the upper respiratory tract and may be harmful if inhaled. Inhalation hazard is increased at higher temperatures. Toxic effects are increased by consumption of alcohol. Acute effects from inhalation of high concentrations of vapor are pulmonary irritation, including coughing, with nausea; central nervous system depression - characterized by headache and dizziness, increased reaction time, fatigue and loss of coordination. If exposure to highly concentrated solvent atmosphere is prolonged this may lead to narcosis, unconsciousness, even coma and possible death. Copyright © 2006 by Genium Group, Inc. Any commercial use or reproduction without the publisher’s permission is prohibited. Judgments as to the suitability of information herein for the purchaser’ s purposes are necessarily the purchaser’s responsibility. Although reasonable care has been taken in the preparation of such information, Genium Group, Inc. extends no warranties, makes no representations, and assumes no responsibility as to the accuracy or suitability of such information for application to the purchaser’s intended purpose or for consequences of its use. Headache, fatigue, lassitude, irritability and gastrointestinal disturbances (e.g., nausea, anorexia and flatulence) are the most common symptoms of xylene overexposure. Injury to the heart, liver, kidneys and nervous system has also been noted amongst workers. Transient memory loss, renal impairment, temporary confusion and some evidence of disturbance of liver function was reported in three workers overcome by gross exposure to xylene (10000 ppm). One worker died and autopsy revealed pulmonary congestion, edema, and focal alveolar hemorrhage. Volunteers inhaling xylene at 100 ppm for 5 to 6 hours showed changes in manual coordination, reaction time and slight ataxia. Tolerance developed during the workweek but was lost over the weekend. Physical exercise may antagonize this effect. Xylene body burden in humans exposed to 100 or 200 ppm xylene in air depends on the amount of body fat with 4% to 8% of total absorbed xylene accumulating in human adipose tissues. Eye: The liquid is highly discomforting to the eyes and is capable of causing a mild, temporary redness of the conjunctiva (similar to wind-burn), temporary impairment of vision and/or other transient eye damage/ulceration. The vapor is highly discomforting to the eyes. The material may produce severe irritation to the eye causing pronounced inflammation. Repeated or prolonged exposure to irritants may produce conjunctivitis. Corneal changes have been reported in furniture polishers exposed to xylene. Skin: The liquid is highly discomforting to the skin and may cause drying of the skin, which may lead to dermatitis and it is absorbed by the skin. Toxic effects may result from skin absorption. Open cuts, abraded or irritated skin should not be exposed to this material. The material may accentuate any pre-existing skin condition. The material may produce severe skin irritation after prolonged or repeated exposure, and may produce a contact dermatitis (nonallergic). This form of dermatitis is often characterized by skin redness (erythema) and swelling (edema) which may progress to vesiculation, scaling and thickening of the epidermis. Histologically there may be intercellular edema of the spongy layer (spongiosis) and intracellular edema of the epidermis. Prolonged contact is unlikely, given the severity of response, but repeated exposures may produce severe ulceration. Ingestion: Considered an unlikely route of entry in commercial/industrial environments. The liquid is highly discomforting and toxic if swallowed. Ingestion may result in nausea, pain, vomiting. Vomit entering the lungs by aspiration may cause potentially lethal chemical pneumonitis. Carcinogenicity: NTP - Not listed; IARC - Group 3, Not classifiable as to carcinogenicity to humans; OSHA - Not listed; NIOSH - Not listed; ACGIH - Class A4, Not classifiable as a human carcinogen; EPA - Class D, Not classifiable as to human carcinogenicity; MAK - Not listed.

Potential chronic health

Prolonged or continuous skin contact with the liquid may cause defatting with drying, cracking, irritation and dermatitis following. Small excess risks of spontaneous abortion and congenital malformation was reported among women exposed to xylene in the first trimester of pregnancy. In all cases however the women had also been exposed to other substances. Evaluation of workers chronically exposed to xylene has demonstrated a lack of genotoxicity. Exposure to xylene has been associated with increased risks of hemopoietic malignancies but, again simultaneous exposure to other substances (including benzene) complicate the picture. A long-term gavage study of mixed xylenes (containing 17% ethyl benzene) found no evidence of carcinogenic activity in rats and mice of either sex.