What can be damaged if you smell a chemical directly?

When you are in the laboratory and take a direct sniff of the chemicals you are using, you run the risk of damaging your mucous membranes or your lungs. When it is necessary to smell chemicals in the lab, the proper technique is to cup your hand above the container and waft the air toward your face.

How do you know if smell is toxic?

If a substance level in air is high, happens often, and last a long time, the odor can become toxic and cause adverse health effects. If those conditions do not exist, odors are generally not toxic. If you are sensitive to environmental odors, you may react to low concentrations of a substance in air.

What are the worst smelling chemicals?

Above −20 °C (−4 °F), thioacetone readily converts to a polymer and a trimer, trithioacetone. It has an extremely potent, unpleasant odour, hence thioacetone has been considered as the worst-smelling chemical.

What happens when you smell something toxic?

Some chemicals with strong odors may cause eye, nose, throat or lung irritation. Strong odors may cause some people to feel a burning sensation that leads to coughing, wheezing or other breathing problems. People who smell strong odors may get headaches or feel dizzy or nauseous.

What is the stinkiest smell?

Chemists tend to agree that a class of molecules known as ‘mercaptans’ are the smelliest compounds in existence. You might have encountered foul-smelling mercaptans in a skunk’s spray, rotting meat, bad breath, swamp water, and even some cheeses.

What happens if you breathe too much bleach fumes?

Breathing high amounts of chlorine gas can lead to a build-up of fluid in the lungs and severe shortness of breath that could lead to death if untreated. Immediately or within a few hours after breathing chlorine gas, the lungs can become irritated, causing coughing and/or shortness of breath.

What to do if you inhale cleaning products?

If you have inhaled chemical or toxic fumes, you should get into fresh air straight away. Open doors and windows wide. If you are with someone who has inhaled toxic fumes, seek medical attention immediately. If they have collapsed, call triple zero (000) for an ambulance and start resuscitation.