The impact of gasoline on human health must be prevented

With the rapid development of modern industry, gasoline has become one of the chemical products that people come into contact with most in daily life. The impact of gasoline on human health and how to protect it have gradually attracted widespread attention from the society.

Gasoline is a colorless or light yellow liquid with a special odor. It contains alkanes from butane to dodecane and some cycloalkanes, as well as varying amounts of aromatic hydrocarbons. Its additives or impurities often contain benzene, manganese, sulfur, phosphorus, lead, etc. In addition to being used as a gasoline engine fuel, gasoline is also used as an industrial solvent and is widely used in industries such as rubber, shoemaking, printing, leather making, paint, laundry, and hardware cleaning.

Although gasoline is low in toxicity, improper use can cause gasoline poisoning. Gasoline harms the human body mainly through three ways: inhalation through the respiratory tract, swallowing through the digestive tract, and absorption through the skin capillaries. The toxicity of gasoline mainly anesthetics and stimulates the human central nervous system, and has a degreasing effect on the skin and other contact parts. Acute poisoning manifests as headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, irritability, excitement, blurred vision, etc. In severe cases, it can cause impaired consciousness and respiratory arrest. Inhalation of a large amount of gasoline liquid into the respiratory tract in a short period of time can cause pneumonia. Chronic poisoning mainly manifests as mental depression, headache, numbness of the distal extremities (muscle atrophy), "glove"-like pain and tactile hypoesthesia, anemia, etc. Severe poisoning can cause toxic encephalopathy, toxic mental illness, limb paralysis, etc., damage to organs and tissues such as the liver, heart, and kidneys; cause dry and cracked skin, keratinization and chronic dermatitis; cause tearing of the eyes and corneal congestion; cause abnormal menstruation and pregnancy complications in women, etc.

People are mainly exposed to gasoline in their daily lives when driving a car. When driving, they should pay attention to prevent the gasoline from the engine at the bottom of the cab from spreading into the cab, open the windows more often for ventilation, and reduce the gasoline concentration in the cab. Drivers should avoid smoking and drinking while working to reduce the occurrence of inflammation of the respiratory mucosa. When repairing the car, avoid direct skin contact with gasoline, and never inhale gasoline with your mouth. After the inspection is completed, clean the contact parts of the body in time.

There are many female workers in the gasoline production and sales links such as oil refining, oil depots, refueling, gasoline transportation, and enterprises that use gasoline as an industrial solvent. During the work process, ventilation in the workplace should be strengthened. Workers who come into contact with gasoline should be equipped with effective protective gear to reduce the chance of direct contact with gasoline. They can choose gas masks, sealed goggles, polyethylene gloves, work clothes and work shoes, etc.; they should take a bath and change work clothes in time after get off work; they should not eat at their workplaces, etc.; those with allergic skin diseases and organic diseases of the nervous system should avoid contact with gasoline. Female workers are also prohibited from performing gasoline-hazardous operations during pregnancy and lactation.