Help.need info?

Does anybody know if xylene could be in deployed airbag dust or in liguid that soaked my car,from a backed up drain, to car heat-air unit? I have some serious health problems,connected with very,high xylene exposure and am trying to find out if the above questions, could be connected. I had a car wreck. Thanks so much! oceanlover37

It looks like you're more likely to have issues from xylene your place of work, a long-term fuel leak in your car, or from second-hand cigarette smoke according to the US Dept. of Health (http://www.temarry.com/chemicals/xylene.htm). Due to the flammability and high evaporation rate, I don't think you'd find it in the deployed air bag dust.

For you to be experiencing health issues from a high concentration, and based on how quickly it evaporates, I think you'd be looking at workplace exposure. I am assuming you don't have a meth lab in your house and/or you don't huff it.

-Rod

It looks like you're more likely to have issues from xylene your place of work, a long-term fuel leak in your car, or from second-hand cigarette smoke according to the US Dept. of Health (http://www.temarry.com/chemicals/xylene.htm). Due to the flammability and high evaporation rate, I don't think you'd find it in the deployed air bag dust.

For you to be experiencing health issues from a high concentration, and based on how quickly it evaporates, I think you'd be looking at workplace exposure. I am assuming you don't have a meth lab in your house and/or you don't huff it.

-Rod


Thanks you Rod for your information. No Meth or lab! :rofl:
If,that liquid that leaked on my car carpet, had some coolant in it, that could be the cause. I read that xylene is in some antfreeze and coolants.
Thanks again,
oceanlover 37

If the liquid on the carpet was due to a backed up evaporator drain, unless you had a decent-sized leak in the heater core, the concentration of coolant should have been pretty low. If the leak was large enough that there was so much coolant that the puddle never evaporated (due to high coolant concentration) then I think you'd have a hard time not being found negligent for fixing it. I suspect the root of your question is because you are trying to determine if you have a legal case.

You certainly should not take legal advice from me, this, or any online forum, but unless you can prove that any injury you sustained was due to xylene which was highly concentrated in your car, so high that a leak did not need to be large enough to smell or notice in the cooling system overflow bottle level dropping, you'd have difficulty proving your case.

I'm sorry to learn of your health issues, but trying to pass the blame without proper evidence or proof of intentional negligence is a pet peeve of mine. I'm don't mean to suggest this is your intent, just letting you know where I stand.

-Rod

Rod, I wasn't trying to acquire information for a lawsuit ....no one to sue but myself...I've just been wondering how, I got such a high level of xylene that is affecting my blood. I am a lady who is unfamilier with car mechanics. I drove the car several times with my eyes burning and that weird smell,before I realized my front and rear carpet was soaking wet,down under the mats. That's when, I took it to the shop and found out the drain line, had stopped up,causing this soaking wet carpet.

If,I were a person that looked for a cause,just to sue,I would be in the middle of lawsuit right now,over my car accident 2 years ago,where I do have some documented injuries,that resulted from a man pulling out in front of me,going 50 miles an hour. This would be easy,since I have three children, in the legal field. Sueing is a pet peeve of mine, also.

Thanks Rod! :smile:

Was the carpet wet with coolant or with water? I'm not sure if the ventilation system plastics would retain enough xylene (if any) and I would be surprised if the coolant would have a large enough concentration to cause long-term effects. I suppose there could be an out-gassing effect due to two chemicals coming in contact with each other (coolant and carpet, coolant and ventilation plastics) but again I have no idea if xylene could be a byproduct in such an event. It sounds like there are other much more common sources of significant xylene, but I also don't know if there is a concentration tester that can measure the ppm amount in various locations that you frequent.

You're certainly looking for something in an area that I can't be of much help. Sorry.

-Rod

You might try this site for some info.
http://www.osha.gov/web/dep/chemicaldata/default.asp#target. Also another source is the MSDS ( material safety data sheets) put out by OSHA. http://www.msds.com/. If you work in the auto repair business and are concerned about your health this is a good source of info.

Was the carpet wet with coolant or with water? I'm not sure if the ventilation system plastics would retain enough xylene (if any) and I would be surprised if the coolant would have a large enough concentration to cause long-term effects. I suppose there could be an out-gassing effect due to two chemicals coming in contact with each other (coolant and carpet, coolant and ventilation plastics) but again I have no idea if xylene could be a byproduct in such an event. It sounds like there are other much more common sources of significant xylene, but I also don't know if there is a concentration tester that can measure the ppm amount in various locations that you frequent.

You're certainly looking for something in an area that I can't be of much help. Sorry.

-Rod
Rod....I don't know if it was just water or what on my carpet.I just know there was a weird,sweetesh smell and my eyes were burning really bad. This was last August,with temperatures in the 90's,with car closed up.I remember driving one or two times,to the store and to the beach...total driving time under 10 miles,for both trips. I remember, opening the windows,although hot,because of my eyes burning. and the smell,before I found the carpet wet several days later. It most likely had been wet from the start. I had no idea about xylene then or I could've got the air and carpet tested.
I do appreciate and thank you for your info,and concern.
pceanlover37:)

You might try this site for some info.
http://www.osha.gov/web/dep/chemicaldata/default.asp#target. Also another source is the MSDS ( material safety data sheets) put out by OSHA. http://www.msds.com/. If you work in the auto repair business and are concerned about your health this is a good source of info.

Thank you so much for the links...I'll certainly go there.
oceanlover37:)

If it had a sweetish smell and did not evaporate, that certainly sounds like coolant and is likely due to a bad heater core. Even if the drain were just plugged, you would also need to have a bad heater core for coolant to get into the cabin.

-Rod