Key Points

Fire

• Flammable
• Toluene vapour is explosive when exposed to heat or flame
• Emits acrid smoke and irritating fumes when heated
• In the event of a fire involving toluene, use normal foam and normal fire kit with breathing apparatus

Health

• Toxic following inhalation or ingestion
• Harmful and irritant
• Irritating to the eyes, throat, lungs and skin
• Inhalation or ingestion can cause dizziness, drowsiness, sickness, headache, slurred speech, slow movements, hallucinations, heart problems and coma
• A possible reproductive toxin
• Long term inhalation of toluene can cause permanent damage to the nervous system
• There is no convincing evidence that toluene can cause cancer in humans

Environment

• Avoid release into the environment
• Inform Environment Agency of substantial incident

All sections are available to download in PDF format below:

• Full Document (PDF, 150 KB)
• General Information (PDF, 38 KB)
• Incident Management (PDF, 93 KB)
• Toxicological Overview (PDF, 87 KB)