Toluene Lab Report

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Unknown to many, substances in the air we breathe and things we come in contact to are potentially harmful to one’s health. Such is toluene, a compound that targets different body systems especially the CNS. Through its ubiquitous property, toluene has different routes of entry to the body. To determine its overall effect on the nervous system using the functional observational battery test (FOB) and to observe its effect on the organ gross morphology of rats, acute oral administration of toluene with specific concentrations was done to two rats. Comparison of its effect throughout a 21- day observation with a control rat was done using the FOB. The test was used in determining the effect of toluene on the nervous system. The parameter included …show more content…

Inhalation of high levels of toluene vapors for a short period may cause drowsiness, headache, nausea, visual changes, muscle spasm, dizziness, and loss of coordination. It is absorbed almost completely from the gastrointestinal tract following ingestion. Greater than 75 percent is eliminated within 12 hours after exposure. (New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, 2005). The objectives of the experiment is to assess the changes in action after a single oral intake of toluene, white rats are used to determine the motor impairments brought by the said chemical using the Functional Observation Battery (FOB) Test. The last objective is to observe if ingestion of toluene has any morphological and anatomical effect on different organs. The significance of using the oral dose of toluene in rats is that it will be subjected to the rat’s metabolism and depending upon the drug, a part of it will be degraded by the body’s metabolic processes. This shows that only a part of the drug administered reaches the blood and this is called bioavailability. So if for example a drug X has a bioavailability of 50% and its dose is 100 mg, using oral dose 200 mg of it is needed to be taken. In the case of IV, since it is directly administered into the bloodstream, 100 mg is administered (Gordon, 2005). REVIEW OF RELATED