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Gasoline and fuels

  • woman blowing nose

    What’s that smell?: Identifying unknown fumes in your home

    There are many sources of bad smells in and around the home including spoiled food, mold, volatile organic chemicals, leaky or backed-up pipes and drains, and pet odors. Mixing some household cleaners such as bleach and ammonia or acid can produce toxic fumes. Some toxic fumes such as carbon monoxide are odorless. Symptoms of toxicity will depend on the gas.

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  • close up motor oil

    My child drank motor oil

    Motor oil can be very harmful if swallowed and aspirated into the lungs. Patients with respiratory symptoms after ingesting motor oil need to go to an ER for help. Used motor oil has contaminants, but a one-time exposure is unlikely to cause toxicity.

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  • Filling car with gas

    Gasoline and toddlers: Summer risks

    Children get into gasoline most often in the summertime. If they're outside the car at the gas station, they get splashed; this can irritate the eyes or skin. If someone transfers gas to a food or drink container, kids drink it. Drinking gasoline can lead to gagging on it; this can lead to pneumonia and lung damage.

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  • Mother filling car with gas

    Gasoline and diesel fuel toxicity

    Gasoline and diesel are petroleum hydrocarbons. Inhaling their fumes can cause lung irritation and neurological toxicity. Chronic abuse can be dangerous. Swallowing gasoline/diesel can irritate the digestive tract and result in aspiration into the lungs, resulting in chemical pneumonitis. Skin exposure can cause irritation and redness, while prolonged exposure results in chemical burns.

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