Phenol burns

Phenol should not be allowed to come into contact with the skin for it causes painful burns. The best antidote for phenol burns is a saturated solution of bromine in glycerine if all undi.ssolved bromine is allowed to settle out before the solution is used, there is no danger of bromine burns. Lime water may also be employed. 

Phenol was the first commercial antiseptic its introduction into hospitals in the 1870s led to a dramatic decrease in deaths from postoperative infections. Its use for this purpose has long since been abandoned because phenol burns exposed tissue, but many modern antiseptics are phenol derivatives. Toluene has largely replaced benzene as a solvent because it is much less toxic. Oxidation of toluene in the body gives benzoic acid, which is readily eliminated and has none of the toxic properties of the oxidation products of benzene. Indeed, benzoic acid or its sodium salt (Na+, C6H5COO ions) is widely used as a preservative in foods and beverages, including fruit juices and soft drinks. 

Sugden P, Levy M, Rao GS. Onychocryptosis-phenol burn fiasco. Burns 2001 27(3) 289-92. 

Hunter DM, Timerdery BE, Leonard RB, McCalmont T, Schwartz E. Effects of isopropyl alcohol, ethanol and polyethylene glycol/industrial methylated spirits in the treatment of acute phenol burns. Ann Emerg Med 1992 21 1303-7. 

Horch R, Spilker G, Stark GB (1994) Phenol burns and intoxications. Burns 20 45-50... 

Aromatic esters usually burn with a smoky flame, possess reasonably high boiling points, and are (particularly esters of phenols) sometimes crystalline solids. Phenyl esters usually give phenol upon distillation with soda hme (see Section IV,175 for general details). 

At room temperature phenol is a white, crystalline mass. Phenol gradually turns pink if it contains impurities or is exposed to heat or light. It has a distinctive sweet, tarry odor, and burning taste. Phenol has limited solubiUty in water between 0 and 65°C. Above 65.3°C phenol and water are miscible in all proportions. It is very soluble in alcohol, ben2ene, chloroform, ether, and partially disassociated organics in general. It is less soluble in paraffinic hydrocarbons. The important physical properties of phenol are Hsted in Table 1. 

In the next stage in the recovery and refining of tar acids, water and pitch ate removed from the cmde tar acids in a continuous-vacuum still heated by superheated steam or circulating hot oil. The aqueous phenol overhead distillate is recycled, the stream of once-mn tar acids is refined, and the phenoHc pitch bottoms are burned. 

One possible solution to the problem is to make greater use of intumescent materials which when heated swell up and screen the combustible material from fire and oxygen. Another approach is to try to develop polymers like the phenolic resins that on burning yield a hard ablative char which also functions by shielding the underlying combustible material. 

Toxic Reactions of the Skin Irritation is the most common reaction of the skin. Skin irritation is usually a local inflammatory reaction. The most common skin irritants are solvents dehydrating, oxidizing, or reducing compounds and cosmetic compounds. Acids and alkalies are common irritants. Irritation reactions can be divided into acute irritation and corrosion. Necrosis of the surface of the skin is typical for corrosion. Acids and alkalies also cause chemical burns. Phenols, organotin compounds, hydrogen fluoride, and yellow phosphorus may cause serious burns. Phenol also causes local anesthesia, in fact it has been used as a local anesthetic in minor ear operations such as puncture of the tympanous membrane in cases of otitis. ... 

Various polymeric materials were tested statically with both gaseous and liquefied mixtures of fluorine and oxygen containing from 50 to 100% of the former. The materials which burned or reacted violently were phenol-formaldehyde resins (Bakelite) polyacrylonitrile-butadiene (Buna N) polyamides (Nylon) polychloroprene (Neoprene) polyethylene polytriflu-oropropylmethylsiloxane (LS63) polyvinyl chloride-vinyl acetate (Tygan) polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene (Viton) polyurethane foam. Under dynamic conditions of flow and pressure, the more resistant materials which binned were chlorinated polyethylenes, polymethyl methacrylate (Perspex) polytetraflu-oroethylene (Teflon). 

No discussion of polymer fire retardance would be complete without at least a brief mention of the highly aromatic polymers, all of which are very difficultly flammable if they burn at all (1 ). Although the low flammability of phenolic and furane resins are well known, these thermally... 

It should be noted that space permits only one sample of District Chief Armando Bevelac-qua work. However, his production also includes medical protocols for Bronchospasms, Tachydysrhythmias, Chemical Burns, Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Compounds, Cyanide and Hydrogen Sulfide, Organophosphate and Carbamate (Nerve Agents), Hydrofluoric Acid, Phenol, Chloramine and Chlorine Products, Lacrimators, and Phosgene. 

Historically, carbolic acid was so called because solid phenol causes nasty chemical burns to the skin. The root carbo comes from the French for coal. ... 

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