A study was performed to determine the content of benzene in the air and solvents and thinners used by 231 workers in 40 small or large workplaces in Istanbul and Izmit. The benzene value in the air of a tyre cord manufacturing factory where two cases of acute leukaemia were recorded in a six year period was 110 ppm. In nine of 47 thinners (19.1%) the benzene content ranged between 0% and 6.4% ...

Thinners are mixtures of organic solvents commonly containing toluene, xylene, acetone, hexane, benzene and methyl isobutyl ketone. This report describes a case of rhabdomyolysis with acute tubular necrosis and renal failure, most likely attributable to toluene, following occupational exposure to thinners while cleaning a steel water tank. These adverse health effects have previously been repor...

The most commonly experienced side effects of oral supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids are “fishy burps”, gastrointestinal distress (stomach upset), and blood thinning. Many omega-3 supplements are now “enteric coated” in order to decrease the risk of the first two annoying side effects. Taking these supplements with meals or storing them in the freezer also helps. With regard to blood thi...

Patients receive blood thinners (anticoagulants) to treat or prevent blood clots. The most commonly used intravenous anticoagulant is heparin. This Cardiology Patient Page focuses on heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), a complication of heparin therapy. This complication of heparin is often confusing because in HIT, heparin does the opposite of what it is supposed to do: It forms rather tha...

The Authors describe the case history of a child who suffered a cardiac arrest with ventricular fibrillation after deliberate inhalation of 1,1,1-Trichloroethane in typewriter correction fluid thinners. Successful out-of-hospital defibrillation was carried out and the patient made a full recovery. The literature relating to this particular form of volatile substance abuse is reviewed.