Invisible,
odorless, virtually undetectable, isocyanates are a silent killer amongst
workers in many professions including painters, foam-blowers and manufacturers
of chemicals, polyurethane foam, insulating materials, surface coatings, car
seats, foam mattresses and more (1). Auto-motive paints typically come
separated into two parts; paint and hardener. The effect of the two combined is
that the paint will dry faster and, ultimately, be more durable and last longer
than the paint alone (2). While this may be desirable from the perspective of a
buyer, it comes at a great cost to the manufacturer.
Unless burned or generated into
a dust, the finished product (car paint) is not toxic, however, the application
of the paint is highly toxic. When the paint and hardener are mixed they form
an isocyanate. This isocyanate can then be absorbed through the skin and mucous
membranes or breathed in through the lungs. Though the amount of isocyanates
that are produced during this process is small, overtime, the repeated exposure
to them may potentially cause irreversible and life threatening side effects
(2).
The most notable symptoms that
one will experience first upon being exposed to isocyanates are irritation to
the eyes and mucous membranes, or rashes on the skin. Some more long term
conditions that one can expect to develop are asthma, chemical bronchitis or less
commonly, hypersensitivity pneumonitis. The symptoms of asthma and chemical
bronchitis will present with coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing and chest
tightness. Continued exposure to isocyanates will cause one to develop a
sensitivity to them causing him/her to have an asthma attack with just the
tiniest bit of exposure, and possibly without any exposure at all (1). Hypersensitivity
pneumonitis will present with symptoms mimicking the flu such as fever, muscle
aches, headaches, dry cough or cough with phlegm, chest tightness and difficult
breathing. As this condition turns more chronic, one can expect these symptoms
to also include more difficult breathing, fatigue and weight loss (2).
As of right now, the ways for
Western medicine to treat isocyanate poisoning are to treat the symptoms of
asthma or bronchitis. The main way they work to prevent symptoms from getting
worse is to advise the employee to change professions. Ways for employers to
protect their employees against exposure are by installing ventilation systems,
tightly covering products containing isocyanates to prevent evaporation,
providing supplied-air respiration equipment, gloves, face shields and clothing
made out of butyl rubber. Simple dust masks will not prevent the inhalation of isocyanates (2).
The liver is the organ that is
directly involved in the metabolism of most toxins. For this reason, many
naturopaths will advise a patient with chronic chemical exposure to engage in a
detoxification diet for several months to cleanse the liver. This diet
includes: low fat consumption to increase fat metabolism, limited intake of
sugar and highly processed food, no caffeine, tobacco and alcohol, high fiber
to absorb the toxins, limited red meat – mostly protein from organic vegetables,
foods with antioxidants, at least 64oz of water a day and a daily
multi-vitamin. The incorporation of milk thistle is also very powerful to
increase glutathione production, thus, increasing the detoxification effects
(3).
Though there are no specific
case studies regarding the treatment of isocyanate poisoning with traditional
Chinese medicine, it appears that the two main organs involved are the lungs
and the liver. From a five element perspective, this can be seen as Wood
insulting Metal. The two main points I would use to treat this are the exit
point on the liver channel (LV14) and the entry point on the lung channel (LU1)
to drain the excess liver into the deficient lung. In the acute stage of
chemical poisoning I would focus a formula on clearing toxic heat from the body
such as Huang Lian Jie Du Tang. This is a perfect formula to drain fire toxins
from all three burners for a patient with a strong constitution, however, I
would discontinue as soon as symptoms disappear to prevent damaging the yin. For
a patient who has had years of exposure I would focus more on tonifying qi and
less on clearing toxins. Si Jun Zi Tang would be perfect in such a case to
tonify qi and strengthen the spleen, and therefore the lungs.
Works
Cited:
http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/chemical-poisoning#4
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