Indoor Air Quality
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Chemical Solvents
Unfortunately, the typical chemical solvent evaporates easily and adds to the ingredients of the chemical soup in our indoor air. Some solvent are meant to evaporate quickly, though. If the solvents in paint wouldn't evaporate, the paint would never dry. Or if the solvent in a stain remover wouldn't disappear, you would always have an oily patch on your white shirt where the squirt of tomato sauce has landed.
Some solvents can be dangerous to health. Like all the other airborne chemicals, the fumes come first in contact with the eyes and the mucous membranes in nose, throat and lungs, where they will cause irritation and breathing problems. In the lungs they may cause tissue damage and enter the blood stream. Headaches, nausea and dizziness can follow. High concentrations or frequent exposures, accidentally or purposely (glue and paint sniffing), will affect a person's mood and perception. Sadly, for some, the fumes instil a state of excitement and euphoria and can lead to repeated exposure with major respiratory problems, liver damage, neurological disorders and even death as a consequence. Contact with the skin and swallowing a product that contains a hazardous solvent will, of course, result in serious negative health effects, such as skin disorders; chemical burning of mouth, throat and stomach; vomiting; diarrhoea; and abdominal pain. Some people may experience allergic reactions when in contact with a particular solvent.
A solvent is a substance that will dissolve something else to form a solution. The term can also describe a substance that makes up the bulk of a solution. Water is the most common solvent. Before your very eyes it dissolves, let's say, a headache tablet, until it is part of a solution.
When something is meant to remain soft or liquid, the solvent does the trick. Chemical solvents have many applications. They are essential ingredients, for example, in household chemicals and paint; and they are used in the manufacture of plastics and synthetic fibres. They are also useful to extract substances from materials. Many of the aromatic essential oils have been extracted from plants with a solvent, such as alcohol.
