Expert: Dr.Paul Skett - 9/12/2008

Question
QUESTION: Dr. Skett
What would an inhalation, ingestion exposure as well as to the eyes of Butane, Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, Monoethanolamine (MEA), & Sodium Hydroxide do to the human body?
Would it cause blindness and what would the long term prognosis be?


ANSWER: Hi, Janice,

Some very nasty chemicals in this list!

Sodium hydroxide is a very caustic substance - severe burns on skin contact, can cause severe eye irritation and burning - can severely damage surface of eye causing blindness (permanent), severe buring on ingestion and inhalation.
See: http://msds.chem.ox.ac.uk/SO/sodium_hydroxide.html

Likewise monoethanolamine - see: http://www.luperox.com/plants/canada/msds/ORG0122.pdf

Butane is a gas - it is very toxic if inhaled - acts like an anaesthetic - can stop person breathing very quickly.
See: http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/byname/toxicity-hydrocarbons.htm

Diethyleneglycol monobutyl ether is less acutely toxic but does have long-term toxicity on various organs
See: http://www.scorecard.org/chemical-profiles/summary.tcl?edf_substance_id=111-76-2.

Hope this helps!

Paul


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dr. Skett

Thank you for your timely response to this matter.

I went onto the site’s you forwarded to me “they were very informative” and then onto http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=47077#Download it states “Radiosodium appears in the circulation of man 3 min. after ingestion. It also appears promptly in the bloodstream after application to intact skin, and after subcutaneous, intramuscular, and intrasynovial injection”.
The reason for ALL the questions over this matter are, on 07/06/05 my husband was exposed for about 15 to 20 minutes to these chemicals while being knocked unconscious from a blow to the head, and had a subdural hemonitoma. His vision was hand motion only at the time.
He was blinded completely, about a month later when he was admitted into a local hospital with his chief complaint (low to moderate pain in the lower back).  He was given over a (2) two day stay, (3) three Fentanyl Pain Patches http://www.fda.gov/cder/foi/label/2005/19813s039lbl.pdf and then released.

We went to a Neurological Institute in Birmingham Alabama USA last year Oct, 2007. He was diagnosed to have, optic nerve severance, and/or decease of the optic nerve signal; we were also told that the damage was permanent! Within the last six months he was diagnosed to have COPD- Emphysema also.

His blindness has always been assumed from the chemicals that had gotten into his eyes at the time of the accident.
(After all of this I am not sure)

Thanks,
Janice


Answer
Hi, Janice,

I am sorry to hear of your husband's accident and injury - some of the permanent effects certainly appear to be consistent with exposure to the chemicals you mention but the blow on the head is a complicating factor here.

I am not sure of the relevance of the radiosodium data - sodium ions do indeed get into the body quickly regardless of what chemical they come from - e.g. sodium chloride (common salt) - but the corrosive nature of sodium hydroxide resides in the hydroxide part of the molecule.

If I can be of any further help, please get back to me.

Best wishes and I hope your husband improves over time.

Paul