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Petrol - Toxicological Overview

Key Points

Kinetics and metabolism

  • As petrol is a mixture of chemicals, there are no definitive ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion) data

Health effects of acute exposure

  • Exposure to petrol vapour in confined or poorly ventilated areas may cause rapid onset of unconsciousness
  • The main hazard associated with petrol is chemical pneumonitis that may arise following aspiration of vomitus (secondary to ingestion) or inhalation of aerosol (or aspiration of liquid) during manual siphoning
  • Inhalation may cause dizziness, excitement and in-coordination
  • Ingestion may cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea
  • Petrol vapour may be irritating to the eyes and respiratory system

Health effects of chronic exposure

  • Prolonged skin exposure to petrol may cause a variety of dermatitic conditions and is generally a result of inadequate or inappropriate use of personal protective equipment
  • Chronic exposure to high levels (particularly arising from recreational inhalation) is associated with a range of neurological disorders
  • Petrol does not have a measurable effect on human reproduction or development
  • There is currently no unequivocal evidence to link petrol with the incidence of cancer in humans but there is limited evidence for carcinogenicity in animals

 

Petrol is a complex mixture of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons derived from blending fractions of crude oil with brand-specific additives. The actual composition of petrol will vary according to the source of crude oil, the manufacturing process and between batches. A representative composition of European petrol is given at Annex I.

Unless otherwise stated, this document pertains to unleaded petrol and not products of combustion or individual chemical components (e.g. benzene, toluene, xylene, butadiene, etc). Vapour concentrations are expressed as ppm and refer to total hydrocarbon present. However, it should be noted that this conventional measure of concentration introduces a source of error and should be considered at best an approximation, as the average molecular weight (on which the calculation of ppm is based) may vary according to temperature, brand or batch of technical product.

Decontamination and First Aid       Summary of Health Effects

Prepared by R P Chilcott
CHAPD HQ, HPA
2007
Version 2

This document will be reviewed not later than 3 years, or sooner if substantive evidence becomes available.