Toluene
Pronunciation:TAHL-yoo-een
Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number:108-88-3
Formal Names:Methylbenzene
Informal Names:Glue, Tolly
Types:Inhalant.Seepage 26
Federal Schedule Listing:Unlisted
USA Availability:Found in assorted products; sales of the pure chemical are re-
stricted because it can be used to manufacture controlled substances
Pregnancy Category:None
Uses.Toluene is a common component ingasoline, glues, and paint prod-
ucts (including nail polish). The chemical is used to manufacture the explosive
TNT and may be found in DDT insecticides. Drinking toluene would be un-
healthy, although experimental animals have survived oral dosage of the pure
chemical. Many recreational users have no access to the pure chemical, and
most (if not all) products containing it are poisonous.
Recreational use is by inhaling vapor from toluene, often in a group setting.
Toluene intoxication lasts longer than intoxication from assorted other inha-
lants. Some actions of toluene are comparable toalcohol. Toluene can relax
users, cheer them up, and produce hallucinations. Mood may change and
become unpleasant, however, often in response to content of hallucinations.
People may have delusions of nonexistent abilities to fly or swim or that they
must obey commands from some entity. Real-world scenes may seem more
brightly lit than normal. Time may be perceived as passing faster. People may
feel confused and dizzy and experience difficulty with balance and with con-
trolling their limbs. Mice react to toluene,pentobarbital, andPCPin some of
the same ways. Rats respond to toluene, pentobarbital, andetherin similar
manners. At a smaller dosage toluene stimulates rats to scurry about, but at
larger doses the animals move around less—reminiscent of alcohol. Although
some persons use toluene recreationally, others may use it to blunt psycho-
logical pain.
Drawbacks.Volunteers who inhaled toluene fumes experienced headache,
eye discomfort, and lower performance on tests of thinking ability. Recrea-
tional users have reported slowness in thinking, and they have scored lower
in intelligence testing than nonusers do. Dementia can be a consequence of