• April 26, 2024

The diversity of uses and applications of industrial solvents means that practically all of us are exposed to them.

The majority of the population inhales these substances involuntarily, when carrying out such daily activities as painting the walls of the house or bringing a freshly varnished piece of furniture to the home. The serious thing, the scientists say, are the toxic effects they produce in the body.

"They are compounds that were designed to dilute oils, paints and in general substances that are not soluble in water.

Remember that the cells of our body contain lipids or fats, these are the "target" of the solvents; there lies the main danger to health ", warns the researcher of the UNAM, Alfonso Cárabez Trejo, from the Neuromorphotoxicology Laboratory of the Institute of Neurobiology of the UNAM, based in Juriquilla, Querétaro.

"When we perceive the characteristic smell of varnished furniture or other new utensils, it is a sign that we are aspiring some type of solvent," adds the neurobiologist.

"At first the aroma is intense, then it diminishes until our sense of smell stops registering it, but that does not mean that it evaporated or that it is no longer toxic; in reality and without realizing it, the objects are releasing the solvent and therefore, the organism remains exposed. Currently the inhalation of this type of substances represents a medical, work and social problem in many countries, "says the expert.

Helpless cells

The research team of Cárabez Trejo has reported the repercussions of the solvents on the different organs and tissues; also, has managed to recognize that the thinner is a harmful compound for the entire organism.

"The commonly known industrial solvents are a mixture of three elements: a pure solvent; a solvent, added to increase the properties of that free substance; and a diluent, which allows to obtain greater volumes of the material. In the case of thinner, chemical analysis reveals that it is a combination of more than 200 substances. "

Using animal models, the researchers found that when inhaled it is distributed throughout the body, where it interacts with the lipids present in the cells. It is as well as it generates damages that go from the thinning of the muscles, the degeneration of the liver and kidney, to the progressive deterioration of the functions of the brain.

"There the effect is faster and more direct, since it interacts with the lipids of the membranes of the brain cells, causing alterations in their functioning.

This mechanism is the origin of the feelings of well-being, of forgetting problems, of the loss of the sensation of hunger, as well as of the hallucinations reported by those who inhale excessive doses of the solvent, "the neuroscience specialist explains.

He mentions that the main responsible for such effects are toluene and benzene, elements detected in the thinner. "It is shown that one excites the activity of the neurons, that is, generates the hallucinatory state, and the other contributes to prolong it."

In animals exposed to the solvent, university scientists analyzed the changes suffered by certain structures of the Central Nervous System, in particular the cerebellum, involved in the coordination of body movements; and the hippocampus, participant in the processes of learning and memory.

"We know that voluntary inhalation constitutes one of the most worrying drug dependencies at present, mainly affects young people and children" in street situations ", however, little is said about the sectors of the population that inhale involuntarily.

Hence the importance of detecting what effects inhalation of this solvent has on the organism and promoting the production of less aggressive solvents ", concludes Dr. Cárabez.