Document nmXynnvyXoB9d3bodX3KVOM71

in accordance with the regulations of the National Fire Protection Association, and other sources of ignition, such as welding, must be controlled Picnc acid was once used extensively as a dressing for burns This use has been largely discontinued because many cases of skin irritation and systemic poisoning resulted from application of concentrations as low as 1 per cent to large areas of the skin Picric acid is rapidly absorbed through the unbroken skin and even more rapidlv through wounds, leading to headache, shivering, fever, and insomnia Absorbed in larger quantities, it produces jaundice and severe inflammation of the kidneys Exposure to the dust of picric acid may cause irritation of the nose and throat, and especially of the eyes, leading to ulceration of the cornea See Industrial Data Sheet 351 Poison oak, poison ivy, and poison sumac are plant species whose toxic irritant has been identified as uriishiol The dermatitis is the result of hypersensitization to this compound Individual susceptibility vanes greatlv and also changes from time to time, depending, at least m part, on how long it has been since the last exposure No one is so completely immune, however, that a sufficiently rigorous exposure will not result in dermatitis Since reaction to these plants is a hypersensitization, it seems logical that individuals could be desensitized bv injections of giaduated doses of the purified extract This has been attempted m many instances, and there are a number of extracts on the market for the purpose Thev seem to give some limited protection to sensitive individuals The poisoning can most effectively be pre vented by destruction of the plants with one or two applications of a herbicide such as one of the 2,4-D formulations Destruction by grubbing out and burning is both expensive and hazardous for the men doing the work and is no more effective than application of the herbicide See Industrial Data Sheet 304 Potassium chlorate--see Sodium chlorate. Potassium cyanide --see Sodium cyanide Potassium hydroxide is a white solid ex tremely soluble in water It is most commonly furnished as a concentrated solution m tank- car quantities and as the solid in flakes, pellets, and sticks, or cast solid in glass or in metal drums The most common injuries suffered with potassium hydroxide are burns of the skin or eyes, caused by solid particles and splashing of the concentrated solution from attempts to dissolve the solid in hot water The solid alkali generates so much heat on dissolving that there is often local boiling even when cold water is used To dissolve the material from a drum in which it is cast solid, the drum should be suspended near the top of a tank of lukewarm water so that the water can circulate through the drum The high density of the concen trated solution will promote circulation from the top to the bottom ofthe tank This method will provide both faster solution and less possibility of injure than any other First aid for alkali burns consists in washing away the solid or the solution with large quan tities of cold water, preferably under a deluge shower, and treating the injury as a heat burn The washing of alkali burns should be partic ularly thorough because of the tendency of the alkalis to penetrate into the skin and con tinue burning even when thought to be washed away Eyes injured by potassium hydroxide should be washed with a gentle stream of water for at least fifteen minutes and should then be immediately brought under medical care Because of the penetrating properties of alkalis, the injuries mav be extremely severe Propyl acetate, either a n-propyl or iso propyl, is a mild irritant to the eyes, nose, and upper respiratory tract These compounds are also potent narcotics, the narcotic effect being about the same as that of ether at the same volume concentration There is no evidence that the effects are cumulative Propyl alcohol (propanol) is mainly a re spiratory and eye irritant Liver damage in animals following repeated inhalations of light concentrations of propyl alcohol has been reported Isopropyl alcohol is more common in industrial use than n-propyl In the body, n-propyl alcohol is oxidized and excreted somewhat more rapidly than is ethvl alcohol, while isopropyl alcohol is ex creted considerably more slowly For this 1369