Posted by Larry Hoover on August 28, 2004, at 21:29:34
In reply to Re: Bleach! Fear of household cleaners! » chemist, posted by AMD on August 28, 2004, at 21:00:12
> So, are these types of insults severely damaging to brain?
No. Your liver is designed to take care of these things. In other cases, your natural antioxidant defenses are ready to step into the game. Passing exposure is no big deal. The smell of bleach is like being around a swimming pool....it can be irritating after a while, but your body will not be permanently harmed.
> I confuse breathing in some fumes with deliberant inhalent use, but I guess there is a big difference there.
>
> aYes, the degree of exposure is the critical factor. Sticking your face into a plastic bag with gasoline in it, and inhaling deeply over and over, is quite a different thing than catching a wisp of fumes drifting (and diluting) in the air.
I don't know what you might do to get past the almost phobic response to smells. Your nose connects directly to the limbic system, so emotional response to odours is rather beyond conscious control. If it's really a problem for you, I'm sure that certain kinds of cognitive retraining can help you to rationalize your vigilance to chemical smells.
In cases where exposure is anticipated, you might well consider a mask with activated carbon absorbent.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:383464
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040825/msgs/383488.html