Full Answer
What are the side effects of turpentine?
Turpentine Side Effects
- Respiratory. At low levels of exposure to turpentine, defined by Occupational Safety and Health Administration as 75 parts per million, people begin to experience irritation to the nose and throat ...
- Visual. Irritation of the eyes develops at exposures of 175 ppm of turpentine vapors. ...
- Dermatological. ...
- Digestive. ...
- Excretory. ...
Is turpentine safe to drink?
Turpentine is definitely not good for human bodies. It's backed by plenty of medical literature. The NIH study found that "the mean oral lethal dose of turpentine for humans" ranges from 15 to 150 milliliters. One may also ask, what does turpentine do to your body? Turpentine oil is made from the resin of certain pine trees. It is used as medicine.
Why do people drink turpentine?
Turpentine is a solvent and a poison, but some people are drinking it as a medicine. Scott Gavura wrote about it 2 years ago and concluded, “There’s no reason to consume turpentine and multiple reasons to avoid it completely, with the primary reason being that it’s a poison.”. Scott’s article mentioned an MD who advocates turpentine to cure the fake illness chronic Candida, and who ...
Can taking turpentine for healing be dangerous?
“At the one teaspoon dosage there are some serious reported adverse effects. It’s kidney-toxic… as little as three teaspoons are fatal.” Dr. Fred Pescatore says he uses it on patients infrequently, but adds there are healing properties in turpentine for internal use and skin conditions like eczema.
Is turps an alcohol?
Origin: short for "turpentine", a distilled oil used in mixing paints. Turpentine is not an alcoholic drink, but its smell seems to remind people of a very cheap form of industrial alcohol, and the word "turps" has become a humorous reference to very cheap and strong forms of alcohol.
Is mineral turpentine alcohol based?
Furthermore, the methylated spirits contain ethyl alcohol mixed with other chemical substances including chemicals like methanol, methyl isobutyl ketone, and benzene, while the mineral turpentine contains a mixture of aliphatic, open-chain or alicyclic hydrocarbon compounds.
What is turpentine made of?
Turpentine oil is made from the resin of certain pine trees. Turpentine oil is included in some chest rubs, such as Vicks VapoRub. When it is included in these products, it is used in very small amounts as a fragrance.
Can turpentine be drunk?
Turpentine is poisonous if swallowed. Children and adults can die from drinking turpentine. Fortunately, turpentine causes taste and odor problems before reaching toxic levels in humans. Turpentine is thought to be only mildly toxic when used according to manufacturers' recommendations.
Is turpentine the same as denatured alcohol?
They are both solvents but mineral spirits do not mix with water. The popular names for denatured alcohol include; 'wood alcohol' and 'methylated spirit. ' Popular names for mineral spirits include; 'paint thinner' and 'mineral turpentine.
Is turpentine the same as acetone?
Turpentine is distilled from the resin of trees, mainly pine. Acetone is an organic chemical, while naphtha is a hydrocarbon mixture.
What was turpentine used for in the old days?
Turpentine was used medicinally since ancient times, mostly topical but sometimes as internal medicine. it was widely used for abrasions and wounds, and when mixed with animal fat it has been used as a chest rub, or inhaler for nasal and throat ailments.
Can you drink turpentine and honey?
Taking turpentine oil by mouth can be very dangerous. As little as 15 mL (about 1 tablespoon) can be lethal in children, and taking 120-180 mL (about a half cup) can be lethal in adults. Despite this, some people take turpentine oil mixed with honey or sugar cubes for stomach and intestinal infections.
Can you put turpentine on your skin?
-Skin disease: Turpentine is a skin defatting agent and sensitizer and can cause dermatitis on prolonged exposure.
What was turpentine used for in the 1800s?
The condensed liq- uid became the refined or “spirits” of turpen- tine Spirits of turpentine was used in paints and medicines, as a solvent, a fuel for lamps, and in processing rubber in the 1800s.
Can turpentine make you sick?
HAZARD SUMMARY * Turpentine can affect you when breathed in and by passing through your skin. * Contact can irritate and burn the eyes. * Breathing Turpentine can irritate the nose and throat causing coughing and wheezing. * Turpentine can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, confusion and rapid pulse.
What are spirits of turpentine?
Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthene, terebinthine and (colloquially) turps) is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Mainly used as a specialized solvent, it is also a source of material for organic syntheses.
What is the difference between turpentine and mineral turpentine?
Mineral turpentine is chemically very different from turpentine, which mainly consists of pinene, and it has inferior solvent properties. Artists use mineral spirits as an alternative to turpentine since it is less flammable and less toxic.
Is mineral turpentine the same as white spirits?
White Spirit is known by a number of names. In the US/Canada it is most commonly known as Mineral Spirits. In Australia and New Zealand it is known as Mineral Turpentine. Turpentine Substitute, Petroleum Spirits and Paint Thinner are some other names for White Spirit.
What is the difference between mineral spirits and turpentine?
Quick FAQs. Is turpentine and mineral spirits the same thing? No. Turpentine is distilled from pine trees while mineral spirits (or white spirits) are made from petroleum.
What is the difference between distilled turpentine and turpentine?
Rectified Turpentine is turpentine that has been purified, it works same as distilled turpentine only with less odor, and is much kinder to your brushes. We also know that Thinner is used for similar purpose as Turpentine.
What is turpentine made of?
Chemical compound. Turpentine (which is also called gum turpentine, spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, wood turpentine, terebenthene, terebinthine and (colloquially), turps) is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines.
Where does the word "turpentine" come from?
The word turpentine derives (via French and Latin ), from the Greek word τερεβινθίνη terebinthine, in turn the feminine form (to conform to the feminine gender of the Greek word, which means "resin") of an adjective (τερεβίνθινος) derived from the Greek noun (τερέβινθος), for the tree species terebinth.
What is the difference between Canada balsam and Venice turpentine?
Canada balsam, also called Canada turpentine or balsam of fir, is a turpentine that is made from the oleoresin of the balsam fir. Venice turpentine is produced from the larch. Venice turpentine is a honey-like product often used by artists when painting in oil , and it is also used to treat horse's hooves.
How much turpentine is safe to work with?
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set the legal limit ( permissible exposure limit) for turpentine exposure in the workplace as 100 ppm (560 mg/m 3) over an 8-hour workday. The same threshold was adopted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as the recommended exposure limit (REL). At levels of 800 ppm, turpentine is immediately dangerous to life and health.
Why is turpentine used in cleaning products?
Turpentine is also added to many cleaning and sanitary products due to its antiseptic properties and its "clean scent". In early 19th-century America, turpentine was sometimes burned in lamps as a cheap alternative to whale oil. It was most commonly used for outdoor lighting, due to its strong odour.
What is the average yield of sulfate turpentine?
The average yield of crude sulfate turpentine is 5–10 kg/t pulp.
What is a V shape on a pine tree?
The V-shaped cuts are called "catfaces" for their resemblance to a cat's whiskers. These marks on a pine tree signify it was used to collect resin for turpentine production.
How is turpentine obtained?
Leung 1980, Trease 1989 Turpentine and rosin are also obtained by steam distillation of heartwood chips of pine stumps, which are byproducts of the lumber and paper industries; these sources currently account for the bulk of turpentine and rosin production in the United States. Leung 1980
What is turpentine oil?
elliottii Engelm.), and other Pinus spp. that yield exclusively terpene oils, or to describe the essential oil obtained from oleoresin.
How much turpentine is fatal?
Turpentine has been used for traditional self-medication in the United States, and fatal poisonings have been reported in children who have ingested as little as 15 mL. Boyd 1991 Turpentine is among the most commonly ingested poisons among childhood cases reported to poison control centers. Melis 1990 The average fatal oral dose is 15 to 150 mL. Guzel 2015
How long does it take for turpentine oil to become toxic?
Signs and symptoms of toxicity generally emerge within 2 to 3 hours after exposure. After oral ingestion, patients may experience an oral burning sensation, pain in oral cavity, thirst, cough, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Where is turpentine produced?
In terms of volume, turpentine is the largest essential oil product in the world, with the bulk of production occurring in the United States. Because collection of oleoresin is very labor intensive, output in the United States has declined considerably. Other principal world producers are Portugal and China, and other contributors include Spain, Greece, India, and Morocco. Trease 1989
Where does Canada turpentine come from?
Canada turpentine, or Canada balsam, is an oleoresin obtained from the stems of the balsam fir (Abies balsamea [Family Pinaceae]).
Does turpentine oil kill staph?
In an in vitro study, turpentine oil exerted antibacterial effects against Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia coli. It was also found to exert activity against 2 strains of yeast. Schelz 2006
What is turpentine used for?
Turpentine has been use as a natural medicine for thousands of years. Turpentine is made by distilling resin from pine trees. Today, manufacturing industries use turpentine to make varnishes, paint thinner and to create aromatics. For a more comprehensive list of medicinal plants, go here.
Why do people put turpentine on cotton wool?
People would place a small amount of turpentine on a piece of cotton wool and bind it to the wound. When the cotton wool dried, they would add a few more drops of turpentine to the material. The purpose was to keep the wound clean; turpentine was thought to have antiseptic qualities.
Is turpentine safe for the lungs?
Although turpentine is hazardous to lungs, it was also thought to ease breathing difficulties if rubbed on to the chest and back in small quantities. This belief is still current. In Latvia, for example, you can buy turpentine at pharmacies. The turpentine comes in the form of an ointment.
Can turpentine be harmful?
While not as common as it once was, the use of turpentine for home health remedies continues-- but with extreme caution. If used improperly, turpentine vapor can be hazardous. It can damage the lungs, central nervous system, eyes and skin. If consumed, turpentine may damage the kidneys.
What is turpentine oil?
Turpentine oil is made from the resin of certain pine trees. Turpentine oil is included in some chest rubs, such as Vicks VapoRub. When it is included in these products, it is used in very small amounts as a fragrance.
Can you take turpentine oil by mouth?
When taken by mouth: Do not take turpentine oil by mouth. Turpentine oil is LIKELY UNSAFE when taken by mouth. Turpentine oil can cause serious side effects, including headache, sleeplessness, coughing, bleeding in the lungs, vomiting, kidney damage, brain damage, coma, and death. When applied to the skin: When small amounts ...
Can turpentine oil cause kidney damage?
In some cases, applying too much turpentine oil to the skin can cause kidney or nervous system damage. When inhaled: There isn't enough reliable information to know if turpentine oil is safe. Inhaling turpentine oil can cause discomfort of the throat and lungs.
Is turpentine oil safe?
Turpentine oil can also be unsafe. In foods and beverages, distilled turpentine oil is used as a flavoring ingredient. In manufacturing, turpentine oil is used in soap and cosmetics and also as a paint solvent. It is also added to perfumes, foods, and cleaning agents as a fragrance.
Does turpentine oil affect your body?
Applying turpentine oil along with medications you put on the skin or in the eyes or ears might increase how much medicine your body absorbs. Increasing how much medicine your body absorbs might increase the effects and side effects of the medicine.
Is it safe to take turpentine oil while pregnant?
Pregnancy and breast -feeding: Taking turpentine oil by mouth is LIKELY UNSAFE. In addition to its potential to cause poisoning, it might cause a miscarriage. There isn't enough reliable information to know if placing it on the skin or inhaling it is safe when pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.
Can children take turpentine oil?
Children: Do not let children take turpentine oil by mouth. Taking turpentine oil by mouth is LIKELY UNSAFE. Children are particularly sensitive to the chemicals in turpentine oil, and they can die after swallowing it.
Overview
Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthene, terebinthine and (colloquially) turps) is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Mainly used as a specialized solvent, it is also a source of material for organic syntheses.
Turpentine is composed of terpenes, primarily the monoterpenes alpha- and beta-pinene, with les…
Etymology
The word turpentine derives (via French and Latin), from the Greek word τερεβινθίνη terebinthine, in turn the feminine form (to conform to the feminine gender of the Greek word, which means "resin") of an adjective (τερεβίνθινος) derived from the Greek noun (τερέβινθος), for the terebinth tree.
Although the word originally referred to the resinous exudate of terebinth trees (e.g. Chios turpentine, Cyprus turpentine, and Persian turpentine), it now refers to that of coniferous trees, na…
Source trees
Important pines for turpentine production include: maritime pine (Pinus pinaster), Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis), Masson's pine (Pinus massoniana), Sumatran pine (Pinus merkusii), longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), slash pine (Pinus elliottii), and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa).
To tap into the sap producing layers of the tree, turpentiners used a combinati…
Converting crude turpentine to oil of turpentine
Crude turpentine collected from the trees may be evaporated by steam distillation in a copper still. Molten rosin remains in the still bottoms after turpentine has been distilled out. Such turpentine is called gum turpentine. The term gum turpentine may also refer to crude turpentine, which may cause some confusion.
Turpentine may alternatively be extracted from destructive distillation of pine wood, such as shre…
Industrial and other end uses
As a solvent, turpentine is used for thinning oil-based paints, for producing varnishes, and as a raw material for the chemical industry. Its use as a solvent in industrialized nations has largely been replaced by the much cheaper turpentine substitutes obtained from petroleum such as white spirit. A solution of turpentine and beeswax or carnauba wax has long been used as a furniture wax.
Turpentine is also used as a source of raw materials in the synthesis of fragrant chemical comp…
Hazards
As an organic solvent, its vapour can irritate the skin and eyes, damage the lungs and respiratory system, as well as the central nervous system when inhaled, and cause damage to the renal system when ingested, among other things. Ingestion can cause burning sensations, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, confusion, convulsions, diarrhea, tachycardia, unconsciousness, respiratory failure, and chemical pneumonia.
See also
• Charles Herty – Chemist, academic, businessman, football coach
• Galipot
• McCranie's Turpentine Still
• Naval stores industry
External links
• Inchem.org, IPCS INCHEM Turpentine classification, hazard, and property table.
• CDC - NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards - Turpentine
• FAO.org, Gum naval stores: Turpentine and rosin from pine resin
Clinical Overview
- Use
Turpentine has been reported to be useful for its antiparasitic effects, particularly in the treatment of myiasis. Turpentine has been used experimentally in baths for treatment of disseminated sclerosis and sexual dysfunction; however, data are limited and safety and efficacy have not bee… - Dosing
Not applicable.
Source
- The term "turpentine" is used imprecisely to describe the oleoresin obtained from the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.), slash pine (P. elliottii Engelm.), and other Pinus spp. that yield exclusively terpene oils, or to describe the essential oil obtained from oleoresin.Leung 1980 At least 6 additional Pinus spp. have been used in the production of turpentine.Trease 1989The oleoresin i…
History
- The primary use of turpentine has been as a solvent in paints. During the last century, it became an important starting material for the commercial synthesis of many widely used compounds, including camphor and menthol. Various products derived from turpentine have been used in chewing gums. Steam-distilled turpentine oil has been used as a food and beverage flavoring in …
Chemistry
- Turpentine is composed primarily of monoterpene hydrocarbons, the most prevalent of which are the pinenes, camphene, and 3-carene. Rosin contains mostly diterpene resin acids, such as abietic acid, dehydroabietic acid, palustric acid, and isopimaric acid. Numerous other compounds are present in small quantities in all turpentine products. Canada tu...
Uses and Pharmacology
- Turpentine and its related products (the oil and rosin) are important in commerce and traditional medicine. These products can pose a toxicity risk and should be handled and stored carefully.
Adverse Reactions
- The contact allergenic activity of turpentine may be caused primarily by the pinenes 3-carene and dipentene. The resin also has irritant potential. In one survey of individuals involved in the manufacture of tires, patch testing indicated that 2.6% developed hypersensitivity reactions to turpentine. Benign skin tumors have been observed in animal models following chronic topical a…
Toxicology
- Turpentine has been used for traditional self-medication in the United States, and fatal poisonings have been reported in children who have ingested as little as 15 mL.Boyd 1991 Turpentine is among the most commonly ingested poisons among childhood cases reported to poison control centers.Melis 1990 The average fatal oral dose is 15 to 150 mL.Guzel 2015 Turpentine oil is toxi…
Disclaimer
- This information relates to an herbal, vitamin, mineral or other dietary supplement. This product has not been reviewed by the FDA to determine whether it is safe or effective and is not subject to the quality standards and safety information collection standards that are applicable to most prescription drugs. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to take this pro…
Further Information
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