Biological monitoring involves sampling and analyzing body tissues or fluids to provide an index of exposure to a toxic substance or metabolite. Xylene can be detected in the end-exhaled air, venous blood and the urine of exposed individuals. However, urinary levels of methylhippuric acid, a metabolite of xylene, appear to correlate better with airborne xylene concentrations than blood or breath concentrations of xylene. Samples are collected at a maximum flow rate of 0.
The sample is then treated with carbon disulfide to extract the xylene. Analysis is conducted by gas chromatography using a flame ionization detector. This method has a sampling and analytical error of 0. In the event of an emergency, remove the victim from further exposure, send for medical assistance and initiate the following emergency procedures:[ 1 , 24 , 25 ].
Eye exposure: If xylene or a solution containing xylene gets into the eyes, immediately flush the eyes with large amounts of water for a minimum of 15 min, lifting the lower and upper lids occasionally. Get medical attention as soon as possible. Skin exposure: The contaminated skin should be washed with soap and water for at least 15 min.
If irritation persists, get medical attention. Inhalation: If xylene vapors are inhaled, move the victim at once to fresh air and get medical care as soon as possible. If the victim is not breathing, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation; if breathing is difficult, give oxygen.
Keep the victim warm and quiet until medical help arrives. Ingestion: If xylene or a solution containing xylene is ingested, give the victim several glasses of water to drink. Get medical help immediately.
Do not induce vomiting if the person is unconscious as it is associated with the danger of pulmonary aspiration. Efforts to reduce the health hazards in the histology laboratories should be made to create a safer working atmosphere by making the histopathology technicians more familiar with the health hazards of xylene, safety measures and emergency procedures. The hazards of xylene are well documented, but the substitutes are not so thoroughly evaluated. Most of the less-expensive alternatives to xylene do not have the same miscibility with alcohol, wax and resinous mountants, and nearly all are sold under trade names without any obvious disclosure of the chemicals of which they are composed.
The assumption that they are safe just because the manufacturer says so is ill advised. It may not be comforting to get exposed on a daily basis to large volumes of a product of unknown chemical composition and largely untested health effects.
Usage of proper personal protective equipment and a decent fume hood prevents the hazardous effects of xylene. In view of the established adverse effects of xylene, the Indian Association of Occupational Hygiene should make a law to safeguard the histopathology technicians against occupational hazards. Source of Support: Nil. Conflict of Interest: None declared.
National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. J Oral Maxillofac Pathol. Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Address for correspondence: Dr. E-mail: moc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Abstract Xylene is an aromatic hydrocarbon known for its wide usage in tissue processing, staining and cover slipping in the histology laboratory. Keywords: Toxicity of xylene, xylene substitutes, xylene. Table 1 Effect of xylene on the nervous system. Open in a separate window. LUNGS Exposure to xylene at levels of ppm or greater can irritate the lungs, causing chest pain and shortness of breath.
The chemical components are one of the following:[ 15 ] Limonene reagents Aliphatic hydrocarbon mixtures Aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures Mineral oil mixtures Limonene reagents Mainly composed of d-limonene, which is a hydrocarbon. Table 2 Advantages and disadvantages of limonene reagents.
Advantages Disadvantages Biodegradable, noncorrosive, nonflammable combustible Expensive Contains no benzene and no toluene Claims to be less toxic but the hazards are not well documented Low toxicity levels Offensive odor Minimal tissue shrinkage Very oily Soluble in alcohol and mounting media Incompatible with some of the mounting media Reasonably fast drying and leaves no residue Cannot be distilled Reduced fire risk Samples take more time to dry thoroughly Has a high vapor pressure, and thus does not evaporate fast.
Degreasing effect on skin Hence, cover slipping multiple slides is easy. Table 3 Advantages and disadvantages of aliphatic hydrocarbon mixtures. Advantages Disadvantages Most of them are odorless Classified as hazardous waste due to flammability Can be recovered by distillation Not easily biodegradable Less expensive than limonene reagents More expensive than xylene Nongreasy some of them Less irritating to the skin than xylene and d-limonene-based clearants Less tolerant of contamination than xylene Less toxic because they are catalytically hydrogenated to destroy the double bonds.
Aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures Some high-boiling aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures having lower volatility than xylenes have been manufactured. Mineral oil mixtures Mineral paraffin oil mixtures look promising in eliminating xylene from most of the procedures. Local exhaust ventilation The workplace can be modified to reduce the inhalational hazards by installing local exhaust ventilation with a proper hood. Figure 1. Get medical attention as soon as possible Skin exposure: The contaminated skin should be washed with soap and water for at least 15 min.
If irritation persists, get medical attention Inhalation: If xylene vapors are inhaled, move the victim at once to fresh air and get medical care as soon as possible. Keep the victim warm and quiet until medical help arrives Ingestion: If xylene or a solution containing xylene is ingested, give the victim several glasses of water to drink.
Toxicological profile for xylene, U. S Department of Health and Human Services, public health service, Agency for toxic substance and disease registry. Sedivec V, Flek J. Exposure test for xylenes. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. Urinary excretion of hippuric acid and m- or p-methylhippuric acid in the urine of persons exposed to vapours of toluene and m- or p- xylene as a test of exposure.
Br J Ind Med. Savoleinen H, Pfaffli P. Dose-dependent neurochemical changes during short-term inhalation exposure to m-xylene. Arch Toxicol. Significant changes in the amounts of neurotransmitter and related substances in rat brain induced by subacute exposure to low levels of toluene and xylene.
Ind Health. Production of discrete changes in dopamine and noradrenaline levels and turnover in various parts of the rat brain following exposure to ortho-, meta- and para-xylenes, and ethylbenzene.
Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. Symptoms and signs in workers exposed predominantly to xylene. Hipolito RN. Xylene poisoning in laboratory workers: Case reports and discussion. Lab Med. Riihimaki V. Percutaneous absorption of m-xylene from a mixture of m-xylene and isobutyl alcohol in man. Scand J Work Environ Health. Percutaneous absorption of m-xylene in man. Testicular atrophy and loss of nerve growth factor-immunoreactive germ cell line in rats exposed to n-hexane and a protective effect of simultaneous exposure to toluene or xylene.
Arch Toxicll. Spontaneous abortions and congenital malformations among the wives of men occupationally exposed to organic solvents. In: Pollution prevention and waste minimization in laboratories. Florida: CRC pressLewis publishers; Xylene substitutes; p.
Sustainable hospitals project. Pilot study of alternatives to the use of xylene in a hospital histology laboratory. Fundamentals of clearing. Wynnchuk M. Evaluation of xylene substitutes for paraffin tissue processing.
J Histotechnol. Xylene substitutes in frozen sections. Dermatol Surg. Histology Without xylene. Ann Diagn Pathol. Beusa RJ. Mineral oil: The best xylene substitute for tissue processing yet? Chemical hazards. Jacobson GA, Mclean S. Biological monitoring of low level occupational xylene exposure and the role of recent exposure. As a longtime xylene manufacturer, we also have a deep understanding of the various uses of xylene solution and how specific blends are best suited for different applications.
Xylene is widely considered to be one of the most reliable industrial chemicals, with a wide range of applications. Common xylene thinners are just the beginning. A few frequent applications include:. Whatever your specific purpose, our knowledgeable team can provide you with the guidance to make the best decision possible, and we are able to work closely with you to ensure that you get the chemical blend you require. Our skilled chemists blend xylene to your precise specifications, always striving to achieve the highest levels of quality and consistency.
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What Is Xylene? Industrial Applications of Xylene Xylene is widely considered to be one of the most reliable industrial chemicals, with a wide range of applications. A few frequent applications include: Industrial cleaning. Xylene is ideal for heavy-duty cleaning applications. Its slow evaporation rate makes xylene a superior solvent for certain cleaning and degreasing applications. It effectively cleans oil-based paint, varnish or polyurethane application tools; lacquer and epoxy application tools; new wood before finishing and oil coatings before refinishing.
Xylene can be used for degreasing bare metal and painted metal parts. Petroleum production. Xylene solvent is frequently used for blending into petroleum and gasoline.
In laboratories, xylene solution is commonly used in chemical reactions or functionally, to remove paraffin from microscope slides. Additionally, it can be used to make baths with dry ice. This is helpful in labs and plants, where the mixtures can be used to safely cool reaction vessels.
In addition to petroleum, xylene is effective when blended for the printing industry and pharmaceuticals. It is also found in perfumes and pesticides. Concrete sealing.
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