If you’ve ever pulled up to a gas station and actually enjoyed the strong gasoline odor, you’re not the only one. Although not everyone does, many people do find the smell a pleasant one. Some even like it so much that they go on to form an addiction to the smell.
Gasoline typically includes over 150 chemicals mixed together, states the CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). One of those chemicals is benzene, which emits a sweet odor that some people may find pleasant. However, the smell of gasoline is toxic, especially when breathed in large amounts.
A small to moderate amount of gasoline can cause dizziness, headaches, euphoria, irritability, drowsiness and loss of memory, says the ATSDR. However, large amounts could lead to hallucinations, seizures, loss of consciousness and even death.
Because inhaled gasoline can easily enter the bloodstream, chemicals inside it like benzene have been known to cause leukemia, states the CDC. However, this usually happens under long-term exposure.
Sniffing gasoline is considered an abuse of inhalants, similar to abusing cleaning products. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, most of these inhalants act as a suppressant for the central nervous system.
That means inhalants cause lack of coordination, slurred speech or dizziness when they’re abused. After several repeated inhalations, the abuser can become impaired and even lose consciousness.
According to the ATSDR, gasoline toxicity occurs in people who sniff it intentionally or who work around gasoline on a regular basis. To protect workers, the Occupational Health and Safety Organization has set the legal limit for work spaces around gasoline at 300 ppm. Levels around 10,000 to 20,000 ppm have been known to cause death.
That’s not to say that everyone who enjoys the smell of gasoline is addicted. For some people, it may simply trigger happy memories of their childhood, Dr. Alan Hirsch told Greatist. Hirsch is a neurologist and psychiatrist who specializes in smell and taste.
The smell can evoke good memories of family time spent around vehicles or the independence of learning to pump gas for the first time.
But no matter the reason for your enjoyment of the toxic fumes, you may be allowed a small satisfaction in them. However, sniffing gasoline intentionally could lead you to addiction—and even toxicity. In turn, that could result in harmful health consequences.
In other words, don’t let your enjoyment of gasoline fumes go any farther than the indirect aroma of the gas station.
Cosmo Insurance Agency is an independent insurance agency serving surrounding communities in New Jersey. Cosmo keeps its promise to assure an efficient and creative approach to the services we offer. Each of our clients experience a personalized and long-term relationship with us. Our New Jersey based team of health brokers guides our clients in helping them choose the most cost-effective options. By incorporating the latest in technology-based tools and laws on healthcare, employee benefits, life insurance and finance, we keep our clients up-to-date with the plans that encompass all of their needs, whether it is individual or group insurance.
CONTACT COSMO NOW
GET A HEALTH INSURANCE QUOTE NOW
LEARN MORE ABOUT HEALTH INSURANCE
GET A DENTAL INSURANCE QUOTE
