Two Acute Toluene Episodes in Merchant Ships

Abstract

Two episodes of acute toluene poisoning are reported, involving 26 men. There were no fatalities. Both episodes resulted from failure to label bulk-supply drums in accordance with local regulations. This may have occurred due to ignorance or carelessness or both. In each ship an air supply respiratory was available but had not been brought onto the job, as no one had any idea that the materials were toxic. A diversity of symptoms was noted, according to the concentration of vapor. In slowly increasing concentrations, anesthesia eventually occurred without the victims having had any awareness of danger; in anesthetic concentrations, the victims were aware of danger and had a sense of great urgency to escape the danger area but over-estimated their capacity to resist the narcotic action and were anaesthetized anyway. No unfortunate sequelae have been noted to this date. A 10,000- to 30,000- ppm concentration of toluene might tentatively be accepted as likely to cause anesthesia in 1 min., and this likelihood is increased if exertion or anxiety increase the respiratory rate. Although it is difficult to believe that toluene concentrations such as those experienced in the episode described would produce no signs of irritation to the eyes, nose, or respiratory tract, this was, in fact, the case. Complete lack of abnormal physical findings would suggest that toluene has only a narcotic action, and that the irritation of the eyes, nose, and respiratory tract described by Laurie, Gerarde and others might be due to impurities.