Chemical Name: Acetone

Chemical name: Acetone [CAS Reg. 67-64-1.]

Every day employees gets injured from using chemical products. This paper will demonstrate the characteristic of the chemical product called Acetone and where to find it, and what kind of physical and chemical properties it had. By understanding the characteristic of Acetone and what kind of conditions that makes it hazardous, it will be easier to maintain control over the chemical product. Furthermore this paper aim to increase awareness of chemical hazardous at work place and how does it affect our body.

Physical /chemical properties:

Acetone is a clear, colourless liquid, have sweet aromatic fragrance with a fruity odour. It is extremely flammable liquid and vapour. The Acetone have molecule weight of 58.08 g/mole. The boiling point is 56.2 c (133.2 F) , melting point -95.35 (- 9.5 F) and the vapor pressure is 24 kPs ( at 20 c), and the vapor density is 2 witch Air have the density of (1) . Acetone could be found as a natural product of metabolism in the body and every organ, tissue, and the blood contains some acetone. it used as a carbon source for glucose and as an energy source. none of the intermediate metabolites of acetone appear to be toxicologically significant .On the other hand Acetone could be found as a chemical product that manufactured to be a fingernail polish remover or some cleaning solution. Acetone is used in numerous industrial processes as a solvent for fats, oils, waxes, resins, rubbers, plastics, lacquers, paints, varnishes, cements, and pharmaceuticals .It composition and purity of Acetone when it is manufactured is greater than 99% with a little remain of water less than 0.5 % or may include very small amount of phenol and benzene. Acetone is incompatible with various substance . It react with oxidizing agents and acids , alkalis, chloroform, dichlorobenzene ethanol. As mentioned earlier the Acetone is flammable product and workers need to be aware of the flammable limits which is lower 2.6% and the upper 12.8%.The flashpoint of the Acetone in a closed cup -20 c (-4 F), open cup -9 c (15.8F) and this indicates that the Acetone should be locked up and closed in a cool well ventilated area.

The routes of entry:

After knowing the physical and chemical properties of the Acetone .The fallowing is to understand the route of entry of the acetone, usually by inhaling it rapidly and absorbed from the lungs. With high absorption rate and water solubility of acetone it suggest that it is widely distributed to all tissues, especially those with a high water content. The metabolic fate of acetone is independent of the route of exposure, and involves 3 separate gluconeogenic pathways. Through gluconeogenic pathways, acetone is ultimately used as a carbon source or becomes carbon dioxide. The main pathway for the elimination of acetone is through the lungs, regardless of the route of exposure. Acetone is expired unchanged, or as carbon dioxide following metabolism. The relative importance of the three-gluconeogenic pathways is dose-dependent, with the hepatic pathway predominating at low doses, but shunting to the extra hepatic pathways as doses increase. Recently, a study examined the elimination of acetone in humans it takes 27 hours for Acetone to detoxification

Effects on the body and source of exposure:

When Acetone comes to contact with the skin or the eye it could be slightly irritating. It depends on the exposure of the product . For example application of 1 mL of acetone in a small glass tube to 6 male volunteers for 30 or 90 minutes resulted