Isopropanol: Its Uses And Safety Threats In Different Industrial Applications

By Author: Jo Alelsto
Total Articles: 405
Comment this article

Isopropanol, or more commonly known as isopropyl alcohol, is one of the most widely used solvent in many industries. As a matter of fact, it is one of the most commonly used solvents in the world. Aside from being used as a solvent in laboratories and the painting and printing industries, it is also used as a chemical intermediate in several industrial applications.

Isopropanol is a clear and colorless liquid. It is a flammable chemical and can also be quite unstable. It emits a mild odor similar to a mixture of ethanol and acetone. It is insoluble in salt solutions; however it is can be mixed with water, acetone, benzene, ether, and chloroform as well as with other alcohols.

Isopropanol in Industrial Applications

In circuit board manufacturing, isopropanol is used as a cleaning agent as well as in making PCB holes conductive. Did you know isopropanol can actually be used to clean your motherboards? Sounds unusual? Not really, many have tried and tested this method and found their motherboards are still working perfectly, sometime even better after the cleaning.

This is also true for other electronic ...
... devices and is very effective in cleaning the contact pins in your ROM cartridges, floppy disk drive heads and magnetic tape deck as well as in the laser lenses of optical disc drives such as those in your CD or DVD players.

Isopropanol is also used in printing as a solvent for flexography, lithography, gravure printing, and as equipment cleaner. It is also a common ingredient in inks. It is also an important component in the laboratory as a solvent in dilution and extraction. Isopropanol is also employed as a gasoline additive and de-icing agent for dissolving water or ice in the fuel lines.

In the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, isopropanol is used in the manufacture of body rubs, aftershave lotions, hand and body lotions, antiseptics, and as a rubefacient pharmaceutic aid. It is also used in lacquers, thinners, and paints, cleaners and polishers, and for sterilizing and disinfecting surfaces in hospitals, food processing plants, and in households.

Health Hazards by Isopropanol

People who are regularly exposed to isopropanol because of the nature of their work are in a considerable risk of poisoning. Laboratory analysts, printers, painters, carpenters and cabinet makers, and process workers at different industries which use isopropanol in its various procedures belong to the occupationally exposed populations.

There are basically four routes of exposure: oral, inhalation, dermal and through the eye. Incidental ingestion of isopropanol above 20 ml may have toxic effects. At a level above 500 ppm, a self-contained breathing apparatus is now important. When the ambient concentration of isopropanol reaches 12,000 ppm, it is extremely dangerous to health and life. Although there is little absorption through the skin, it has been seen that long exposure can result to delayed absorption of isopropanol. Overexposure can also result to eye, nose and throat irritation. These effects usually go away after the source of isopropanol is removed or when exposure is terminated. It may also cause central nervous system depression. At high levels, it can result to confusion, mental in coordination and circulatory and respiratory problems.

These effects however pose only low health risks and will not cause any undesirable health or environmental consequences since the levels of isopropanol found in the workplace and in the environment are not enough to cause any permanent health effects.

But don't let this be a reason for you to be reckless. You must follow the standard safety operating procedures to steer clear of accidents and reduce your risk of poisoning. Isopropanol should be handled properly and people who are working with it should be well trained at processing it.
Jo is a content writer for ‘ReAgent Chemical Services Ltd' (http://www.reagent.co.uk), an established UK stationed chemical firm that produces, has a supply of and distributes a vast variety of high quality chemical products including analytical laboratory chemicals, specialty chemicals and solid chemicals. If your company is looking for high quality organic solvents for example Isopropanol or has other industrial chemical requirements for uses like chemical syntheses, analytical applications and cleaning then have a look at ReAgent Chemical Services Ltd.