Inhalants long-term health effects

Vanadium is a mild irritant to the skin, eyes, and respiratory system. If inhaled or ingested in more than small amounts, it may cause damage to the kidneys and the blood. No serious, long-term health effects have been identified with exposure to the element. Compounds of vanadium are much more harmful. For example, vanadium pentoxide is toxic if inhaled or swallowed. 

Endrin is not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans by International Agency for Research on Cancer. No long-term health effects have been noted in workers who have been exposed to endrin by inhalation or skin contact. 

Nitrous oxide is safe to use in moderate amounts under controlled conditions. Some people use the compound as a recreational drug, however, hoping to get a high from inhaling it. One risk of this practice is that the inhalation of nitrous oxide may reduce the amount of oxygen a person receives. Also, some long-term health effects, such as anemia (low red blood cell count) and neuropathy (damage to the nerves), have been associated with excessive use of the compound. The use of nitrous oxide for recreational purposes is a crime in some states. 

Excess zinc exposure, if intense enough or of sufficient duration, can have adverse impacts upon health (1). For example, metal fume fever is association with inhalation exposure to grossly excessive amounts of molten zinc vapor and/or ultra-fine zinc oxide particles. Although metal fume fever can be induced by virtually any metal, the relatively low boiling point of zinc has resulted in greater occurrence of metal fume fever with zinc than for most other metals. Fortunately, metal fume fever is a short-term flu-like illness, characterized by fever and flu-like symptoms which last approximately 24-72 hours. No long-term health effects have been associated with metal fume fever. 

Despite the best precautions, long term health risks cannot be eliminated. Exposure to the daily operation of vibrating chiseling tools and inhalation of fine particulates will have long term health effects. Designers should give this matter due consideration before specifying this foundation system. 

Studies indicate that both the acute and chronic effects from smoking marijuana often mirror the short-term and long-term effects associated with smoking tobacco. Smoke is made up of both solid and gas particles. The inhalation of hot gases combined with volatile tars (and other particulates) can be very harmful to the lungs, throat, and bronchial tubes. Short-term health effects from smoking marijuana can... 

Workers in the metals treatment industry are exposed to fumes, dusts, and mists containing metals and metal compounds, as well as to various chemicals from sources such as grinding wheels and lubricants. Exposure can be by inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact. Historically, metal toxicology was concerned with overt effects such as abdominal coHc from lead toxicity. Because of the occupational health and safety standards of the 1990s such effects are rare. Subtie, chronic, or long-term effects of metals treatment exposure are under study. An index to safety precautions for various metal treatment processes is available (6). As additional information is gained, standards are adjusted. 

Chronic Health Effect A chronic health effect is an adverse health effect resulting from long-term exposure to a substance. The effects could be a skin rash, bronchitis, cancer, or any other medical condition. An example would be liver cancer from inhaling low levels of benzene at your workplace over several years. The term is also applied to a persistent (months, years, or permanent) adverse health effect resulting from a short-term (acute) exposure. Chronic effects from long-term exposure to chemicals are fairly common. Recognize the PEL (permissible exposure level) for each substance in your workplace and minimize your exposure whenever possible. 

Inhaled steroids (commonly used are beclomethasone, budesonide, triamcinolone, fluticasone, flunisolide) appear to attenuate the inflammatory response, to reduce bronchial hyperreactivity, to decrease exacerbations and to improve health status they may also reduce the risk of myocar dial infar ction, but they do not modify the longterm decline in lung function. Whether- steroids affect mortality remains unclear. Many patients appear to be resistant to steroids and large, long-term trials have shown only limited effectiveness of inhaled corticosteroid ther apy. Certainly, the benefit from steroids is smaller in COPD than in asthma. Topical side-effects of inhaled steroids are oropharyngeal candidiasis and hoarse voice. At the normal doses systemic side-effects of inhaled steroids have not been firmly established. The current recommendation is that the addition of inhaled gluco-coiticosteroids to bronchodilator treatment is appropriate for patients with severe to veiy sever e COPD. 

Little Is known about possible long-term effects of CS Inhalation. This is due In part to the fact that short-term experiments with experimental animals, carried out for from several days to a month and using much higher (In some cases, nearly lethal) concentrations of CS, showed that ocular, respiratory, and cutaneous alte-. rations were mild and readily reversible, whereas necropsy findings failed to reveal any evidence of systemic alterations. Retrospective studies performed by the Hlmsworth committee at the request of the British Parliament after the extensive use of CS in Northern Ireland showed that no adverse effects of CS use were observed, with respect to eye burns, residual respiratory tract injury, Increased death rate in the elderly, exacerbations of mental Illness, increased Incidence of strokes or heart attacks, or incidence of tuberculosis. At exposure concentrations reported by the Hlmsworth committee (about 90 mg-min/m ), no persistent or notably adverse health effects were observed. 

Eichenhorn MS, Wise RA, Madhok TC, Gerald LB, Bailey WC, Tashkin DP, Scanlon PD. Lack of long-term adverse adrenal effects from inhaled triamcinolone. Lung Health Study II. Chest 2003 124 57-62. 

Inhalant abuse refers to the intentional inhalation of such products to experience a carefree, euphoric high. The exact mind-altering effects of inhalants vary, depending on the product involved, but they are generally similar to those produced by alcohol intoxication or anesthesia. The health ramifications can be serious, in both the short and long term, because most inhalants are highly toxic. 

Health effects from inhalants range from mild to severe. A distinction between harmful side effects and long-term effects has not been fully determined. Although some inhalant-induced damage to the nervous and other organ systems may be at least partially reversible when inhalant abuse is stopped, many syndromes caused by repeated or prolonged abuse are irreversible, according to the NIDA research report on inhalants, which was updated in February 2002. 

Paraquat, which was registered for use in 1965, is the most used of the bipyridilium herbicides. With a toxicity rating of five, it is reputed to have been responsible for hundreds of human deaths. 11 Exposure to fatal or dangerous levels of paraquat can occur by all pathways, including inhalation of spray, skin contact, ingestion, and even suicidal hypodermic injections. Chronic health effects from long-term exposure are reputed to include pulmonary effects, skin cancer, and Parkinson s disease.12 Despite these possibilities and its widespread application, paraquat is used safely without ill effects when proper procedures are followed. 

Adachi S, Yoshimura H, Katayama H, et al. 1986. Effects of chromium compounds on the respiratory system Part 4. Long term inhalation of chromic acid mist in electroplating to ICR female mice. Jpn J Ind Health 28 283-287. 

Abraham N. 1996. Hematopoietic effects of benzene inhalation assessed by long term bone marrow culture. Environ Health Perspect 104 (Suppl 6) 1277-1282. 

Chronic-Duration Exposure and Cancer. No information is available on the effects of chronic exposure to 1,1-dichloroethane in humans. The NCI study reported histopathological examinations for endpoints of systemic toxicity in addition to the neoplastic effects in rats and mice. No MRL can be derived for long-term exposure. Additional chronic toxicity studies particularly by the inhalation route would be useful to fully assess potential human health hazard from long-term exposure to... 

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