toluene
Meaning of toluene: Toluene is a strong smelling industrial solvent whose vapors are toxic to the nervous system and other organs with significant exposure.
Definition of toluene
Toluene is a colorless, strong smelling liquid used widely as an industrial solvent and as a component in products such as paint, paint thinner, adhesives, and fuel. It evaporates readily at room temperature, producing vapors that can be inhaled.
Exposure to toluene vapor, particularly at high concentrations or over a prolonged period, can affect the nervous system, producing symptoms such as headache, dizziness, confusion, and impaired coordination, and can also affect hearing, color vision, and kidney function with more significant exposure. Severe acute exposure can cause loss of consciousness.
Because toluene vapor produces a rapid intoxicating effect, it is sometimes deliberately inhaled for this purpose, a practice associated with serious risk of organ damage and, in severe cases, death, distinct from the accidental low level exposure that can occur in occupational settings.
Used in a sentence
The patient's confusion and headache were evaluated for a possible relationship to occupational toluene exposure.
Good to know
Toluene exposure through deliberate inhalation carries a materially greater risk of severe toxicity and death than the low level exposure typically encountered in occupational settings, since the concentrations involved differ substantially.