A correction fluid is an opaque, white fluid applied to paper to mask errors in text. Once dried, it can be written over. It is typically packaged in small bottles, and the lid has an attached brush (or a triangular piece of foam) which dips into the bottle. The brush is used to apply the fluid onto the paper.
Because it contains organic solvents (volatile organic compounds), unused correction fluid thickens over time as volatile solvents escape into the air. It can become too thick to use, and sometimes completely solidifies. Therefore, some manufacturers sell also bottles of solvent as "thinner", a few drops of which will return the correction fluid to its original liquid state.
Thinner originally contained toluene, which was banned due to its toxicity. Later, it contained 1,1,1-trichloroethane, a skin irritant now widely banned under the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer, and then the slightly safer trichloroethylene. Thinners currently used with correction fluid include bromopropane.
To avoid the inconveniences of organic solvents (safety and availability), some brands of fluid are water-based. However, those have the disadvantages of a longer drying time, and incompatibility with some inks (which will soak through them).
Correction fluid is commonly referred to by the leading brand names. These brands include:
More recently, correction fluid has become available in pen form; the pen is spring-loaded and, when dabbed onto the paper, releases a small amount of fluid. If the pen does dry out, a few vigorous shakes usually get the fluid to flow again. Compared to the bottled form, the pen allows a more even and thin application, and is less prone to drying out (since only a tiny surface is exposed during application) or clogging.
Where the problem???
Organic solvents are psychoactive when deliberately inhaled. Such solvents are common inhalants for adolescents due, in part, to the fact that they are inexpensive in comparison to other recreational drugs. Use of correction fluid as an inhalant can cause the heart to beat rapidly and irregularly, which can cause death. An unpleasant smell is added to some brands in order to deter abusers. Companies have worked closely with authorities in order to ensure that all the warnings are duly mentioned on packaging (card and product labels) to inform parents and younger users of the risks associated with inhaling or drinking the fluid.
Toluene is a major component in these products.
Toluene reacts as a normal aromatic hydrocarbon towards electrophilic aromatic substitution.The methyl group makes it around 25 times more reactive than benzene in such reactions. It undergoes smooth sulfonation to give p-toluenesulfonic acid, and chlorination by Cl2 in the presence of FeCl3 to give ortho and para isomers of chlorotoluene. It undergoes nitration to give ortho and para nitrotoluene isomers, but if heated it can give dinitrotoluene and ultimately the explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT).
With other reagents the methyl side chain in toluene may react, undergoing oxidation. Reaction with potassium permanganate and diluted acid (e.g., sulfuric acid) or potassium permanganate with concentrated sulfuric acid, leads to benzoic acid, whereas reaction with chromyl chloride leads to benzaldehyde (Étard reaction). Halogenation can be performed under free radical conditions. For example, N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) heated with toluene in the presence of AIBN leads to benzyl bromide. Toluene can also be treated with elemental bromine in the presence of UV light (direct sunlight) to yield benzyl bromide. Toluene may also be brominated by treating it with HBr and H2O2 in the presence of light.
Similar to many other solvents such as 1,1,1-trichloroethane and some alkylbenzenes, toluene has been shown to act as a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist and GABAA receptor positive allosteric modulator. It is abused as an inhalant likely on account of the euphoric and dissociative effects these actions produce. Additionally, toluene has been shown to display antidepressant-like effects in rodents in the forced swim test (FST) and the tail suspension test (TST).
Toluene is a dangerous, addictive drug that is cheap and easy to manufacture and can create a potential drug crisis.
It is an explosive substance used as paint thinner and its use as a cheap drug has been rampant in countries like Indiana (USA) since 1992-93.
The most common means of taking this uncanny drug is snorting (nasal insufflation). Effects being intoxicated to a substance containing toluene are stimulation of heart rate and respiration, feeling of euphoria, loss of appetite, increased alertness, paranoia, hallucinations and delusions. In extreme cases, the addict could die of heart failure, lethal overdoses or manufacturing accidents.
Police are aware of this infectious habit. But, what baffles them is how to book them for using something that is not illegal or contraband.
[Past News Reports]
The middle part of the cloth is soon soaked with the concoction and Mukesh takes the first sniff. The he passes it around to the group of four to five youngsters.
The next time you are at the railway station in the afternoon, spare a glance at the deserted stretch and the narrow drain alongside. You would see boys, not beyond 15 years in age, sitting on tracks and even lying inside the dirty drains with blank, dazed looks.
Mukesh was high after his first sniff when TNN caught up with him. "I cannot afford liquor. This solution is easily available for Rs 20 and one pack lasts us all day. Moreover, a few sniffs rejuvinate me and am able to take the hard day's toil with ease," explains Mukesh.
He belongs to a large pack of urchins who double up as beggars and rag pickers to earn a sum between Rs 35 and Rs 50 every day. A large part of this earning is spent in procuring this dangerous 'high' which the boys commonly know as 'solution'.[Read More]
Because it contains organic solvents (volatile organic compounds), unused correction fluid thickens over time as volatile solvents escape into the air. It can become too thick to use, and sometimes completely solidifies. Therefore, some manufacturers sell also bottles of solvent as "thinner", a few drops of which will return the correction fluid to its original liquid state.
Thinner originally contained toluene, which was banned due to its toxicity. Later, it contained 1,1,1-trichloroethane, a skin irritant now widely banned under the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer, and then the slightly safer trichloroethylene. Thinners currently used with correction fluid include bromopropane.
To avoid the inconveniences of organic solvents (safety and availability), some brands of fluid are water-based. However, those have the disadvantages of a longer drying time, and incompatibility with some inks (which will soak through them).
Correction fluid is commonly referred to by the leading brand names. These brands include:
- Liquid Paper
- Snopake
- White Away
- Wite-Out
- Tipp-Ex
- Twink
- Pentel correction pen.
- Edigs
- Eraz-Ex
Where the problem???
Organic solvents are psychoactive when deliberately inhaled. Such solvents are common inhalants for adolescents due, in part, to the fact that they are inexpensive in comparison to other recreational drugs. Use of correction fluid as an inhalant can cause the heart to beat rapidly and irregularly, which can cause death. An unpleasant smell is added to some brands in order to deter abusers. Companies have worked closely with authorities in order to ensure that all the warnings are duly mentioned on packaging (card and product labels) to inform parents and younger users of the risks associated with inhaling or drinking the fluid.
Toluene is a major component in these products.
Toluene reacts as a normal aromatic hydrocarbon towards electrophilic aromatic substitution.The methyl group makes it around 25 times more reactive than benzene in such reactions. It undergoes smooth sulfonation to give p-toluenesulfonic acid, and chlorination by Cl2 in the presence of FeCl3 to give ortho and para isomers of chlorotoluene. It undergoes nitration to give ortho and para nitrotoluene isomers, but if heated it can give dinitrotoluene and ultimately the explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT).With other reagents the methyl side chain in toluene may react, undergoing oxidation. Reaction with potassium permanganate and diluted acid (e.g., sulfuric acid) or potassium permanganate with concentrated sulfuric acid, leads to benzoic acid, whereas reaction with chromyl chloride leads to benzaldehyde (Étard reaction). Halogenation can be performed under free radical conditions. For example, N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) heated with toluene in the presence of AIBN leads to benzyl bromide. Toluene can also be treated with elemental bromine in the presence of UV light (direct sunlight) to yield benzyl bromide. Toluene may also be brominated by treating it with HBr and H2O2 in the presence of light.
Similar to many other solvents such as 1,1,1-trichloroethane and some alkylbenzenes, toluene has been shown to act as a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist and GABAA receptor positive allosteric modulator. It is abused as an inhalant likely on account of the euphoric and dissociative effects these actions produce. Additionally, toluene has been shown to display antidepressant-like effects in rodents in the forced swim test (FST) and the tail suspension test (TST). Toxicology and metabolism
Toluene should not be inhaled due to its health effects. Low to moderate levels can cause tiredness, confusion, weakness, drunken-type actions, memory loss, nausea, loss of appetite, and hearing and color vision loss. These symptoms usually disappear when exposure is stopped. Inhaling high levels of toluene in a short time may cause light-headedness, nausea, or sleepiness. It can also cause unconsciousness, and even death
Toluene is a dangerous, addictive drug that is cheap and easy to manufacture and can create a potential drug crisis.
It is an explosive substance used as paint thinner and its use as a cheap drug has been rampant in countries like Indiana (USA) since 1992-93.The most common means of taking this uncanny drug is snorting (nasal insufflation). Effects being intoxicated to a substance containing toluene are stimulation of heart rate and respiration, feeling of euphoria, loss of appetite, increased alertness, paranoia, hallucinations and delusions. In extreme cases, the addict could die of heart failure, lethal overdoses or manufacturing accidents.
Police are aware of this infectious habit. But, what baffles them is how to book them for using something that is not illegal or contraband.[Past News Reports]
The middle part of the cloth is soon soaked with the concoction and Mukesh takes the first sniff. The he passes it around to the group of four to five youngsters.
The next time you are at the railway station in the afternoon, spare a glance at the deserted stretch and the narrow drain alongside. You would see boys, not beyond 15 years in age, sitting on tracks and even lying inside the dirty drains with blank, dazed looks.
Mukesh was high after his first sniff when TNN caught up with him. "I cannot afford liquor. This solution is easily available for Rs 20 and one pack lasts us all day. Moreover, a few sniffs rejuvinate me and am able to take the hard day's toil with ease," explains Mukesh.
He belongs to a large pack of urchins who double up as beggars and rag pickers to earn a sum between Rs 35 and Rs 50 every day. A large part of this earning is spent in procuring this dangerous 'high' which the boys commonly know as 'solution'.[Read More]
