Ozone has been reported to increase despite nitrogen oxides reductions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and ozone formation needs to be revisited using volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are rarely measured during the pandemic. Here, a total of 98 VOCs species were monitored in an economy-active city in China from January 2021 to August 2022 to assess contributions to ozone formation during the pandemic. Total VOCs concentrations were 35.55 ± 21.47 ppb during the entire period, among which alkanes account for the largest fraction (13.78 ppb, 38.0%), followed by aromatics (6.16 ppb, 16.8%) and oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs, 5.69 ppb, 15.7%). Most VOCs groups (e.g., alkenes, OVOCs) and individual species (e.g., isoprene, methyl vinyl ketone) display obvious seasonal and diurnal variations, which are related to their sources and reactivities. No weekend effects of VOCs suggest limited influences from traffic emissions during pandemic. Aromatics and alkenes are the major contributors (39% and 33%) to ozone formation potential, largely driven by o/m/p-xylene (21%), ethylene (15%), toluene (9%). Secondary organic aerosol formation potential is dominated by toluene (>50%) despite its low proportion (5%). Further inclusion of VOCs and meteorology in the Random Forest model shows good ozone prediction performance (R2 = 0.77-0.86, RMSE = 11.95-19.91 μg/m3, MAE = 8.89-14.58 μg/m3). VOCs and NO2 contribute >50% of total importance with the largest difference in importance ratio of VOCs/NO2 in the summer and winter, implying ozone formation regime may vary. No seasonal variations in importance of meteorology are observed, while importance of other variables (e.g., PM2.5) is highest in the summer. This work identifies critical VOCs groups and species for ozone formation during the pandemic, and demonstrates the feasibility of machine learning algorithms in elucidation of ozone formation mechanisms.

Toluene, an aromatic hydrocarbon present in various products, is primarily absorbed through the respiratory tract and can affect different body organs. Occupational health nurses play a key role in detecting acute and chronic exposures. They are also responsible for collecting and processing samples for biomonitoring. However, information on the collection and handling requirements, as well as nursing interventions, is scarce and heterogeneous.
We reviewed the existing literature linking toluene and occupational health nursing, identified sample collection and processing requirements, as well as signs and symptoms of exposure, and related them to diagnoses and nursing interventions.
We conducted a literature search using the PICO strategy, without limitations on document type, date, or language, in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. Signs and symptoms were classified according to the system and nursing test performed during the health examination, identifying possible diagnoses and nursing interventions.
We found no studies linking toluene and occupational health nursing. Seven out of 60 identified documents were selected, which provided information on sample collection requirements. Signs and symptoms were identified based on nursing tests and related to diagnoses and nursing interventions.
The presence of occupational health nursing in studies on toluene is scarce. Sample collection criteria are heterogeneous and limited. There were no studies relating signs and symptoms of toluene exposure to diagnoses and nursing interventions. Further studies on occupational toxicology are needed from a nursing perspective.
Introducción: El tolueno, hidrocarburo aromático presente en varios productos, se absorbe principalmente por vía respiratoria y afecta diferentes sistemas corporales. Los enfermeros/as del trabajo son clave para detectar exposiciones agudas y crónicas. Además, son responsables de recolectar y procesar las muestras para su biomonitorización. Sin embargo, la información sobre los requisitos de recogida y manipulación, así como de intervenciones enfermeras es escasa y heterogénea.  Objetivo: Revisar la bibliografía disponible sobre el tolueno y la enfermería del trabajo, identificar requisitos de recogida y procesamiento de muestras, así como los signos y síntomas de exposición y relacionarlos con diagnósticos e intervenciones enfermeras. Métodos: Se realizó una revisión bibliográfica aplicando la estrategia PICO, no limitada por tipo de documento, fecha o idioma en PubMed, Web of Science y Scopus. Se clasificaron los signos y síntomas según sistema y prueba de enfermería realizada durante el examen de salud, identificando diagnósticos e intervenciones enfermeras. Resultados: No se encontraron estudios sobre tolueno y enfermería del trabajo. De 60 citas identificadas, 6 artículos señalaban requisitos de recogida de muestras. Se identificaron signos y síntomas de acuerdo a las pruebas de enfermería y se relacionaron con diagnósticos e intervenciones de enfermería. Conclusiones: La presencia de la enfermería del trabajo en la literatura científica sobre tolueno es escasa. Los criterios de recogida de muestras son heterogéneos y limitados. No se han encontrado estudios que relacionen signos y síntomas de exposición al tolueno con diagnósticos e intervenciones enfermeras. Se propone un cuadro relacional novedoso. Son necesarios estudios de toxicología laboral desde la perspectiva de la enfermería del trabajo.

Occupational health hazards contribute significantly to the morbidity and mortality of workers in factories. Toluene has become a widely abused inhaled volatile drug. The spectrum of toluene-induced renal injury includes rhabdomyolysis, myoglobinemia, distal renal tubular acidosis (RTA), acute tubular necrosis, glomerulonephritis, and interstitial nephritis. We describe two patients with paint-thinner-induced kidney injury who were affected through different routes of exposure and recovered well, with one requiring dialysis support; the second patient, who had developed Type 1 distal RTA and mild kidney injury, was managed with conservative measures. Toluene can cause acute neurological symptoms, accompanied by severe metabolic alterations, as well as organ injury and dysfunction. A common association of the development of hypokalemic paralysis and metabolic acidosis with toluene intoxication was observed. Liver injury and rhabdomyolysis are also common. Vomiting, dehydration, tubular injury, and rhabdomyolysis are all possible additional causes of acute renal failure in toluene intoxication. Type 1 distal RTA, which is characterized by an inability to lower urine pH despite acidemia, results in hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis with hypokalemia. The management of acute toluene toxicity is largely conservative, consisting of correcting the electrolytes and the acid-base balance, fluid alterations, and renal replacement therapy in severe acute kidney injury. A clinical suspicion of organ failure and prompt supportive care leads to encouraging results. Adequate protective steps for workplaces involved in the use of such substances in confined spaces include prior risk assessment, using low-toxicity chemical products, ensuring adequate ventilation, safety training, and using appropriate personal protective equipment.

We present a rare case of a patient with toluene exposure manifesting as anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) disease on a background of phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R)-associated membranous nephropathy. A 23-year-old man presented to the emergency department with hypertension, headache, hemoptysis, anemia, acute kidney injury, glomerular hematuria, and proteinuria. He endorsed repeated exposure to toluene-containing products while repairing dirt bikes. Serologies were positive for anti-GBM antibodies. Kidney biopsy showed crescentic glomerulonephritis with linear immunoglobulin G and granular PLA2R staining by immunofluorescence. He was initially treated with high-dose steroids, plasmapheresis, and hemodialysis for pulmonary-renal syndrome followed by oral cyclophosphamide and prednisone, which were discontinued after 3 months when follow-up biopsies confirmed little chance for renal recovery. He remained on dialysis 1 year later. This case exhibits a unique presentation of anti-GBM syndrome and underlying membranous nephropathy following repeated hydrocarbon exposure. Inhaled toxins promote recurrent localized inflammation, unmasking previously hidden epitopes. Early diagnosis and appropriate use of immunosuppressive and extracorporeal therapies are necessary to prevent morbidity and to improve survival in this rare condition.

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is one of the main socioeconomic and financial centers of Vietnam. The city also faces serious air pollution. However, the city polluted with benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) has rarely been studied. We used positive matrix factorization (PMF) to analyze BTEX concentrations measured at two sampling locations to identify the main sources of BTEX in HCMC. The locations represented residential area (i.e., To Hien Thanh) and industrial area (i.e., Tan Binh Industrial Park). At the To Hien Thanh location, the average concentrations of benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylene were 6.9, 14.4, 4.9, and 12.7 µg/m3, respectively. At the Tan Binh location, the average concentrations of benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylene were 9.8, 22.6, 2.4, and 9.2 µg/m3, respectively. The results showed that PMF was a reliable model for source apportionment in HCMC. Traffic activities were the main sources of BTEX. Besides, industrial activities also contributed to BTEX emissions, especially the location near the industrial park. The majority of BTEXs at the To Hien Thanh sampling site come from traffic sources accounting for 56.2%. Activities from traffic and photochemical reactions (42.7%) and industrial sources (40.5%) were the main sources affecting BTEX emissions at the sampling site of Tan Binh Industrial Park. This study can be used as a reference for mitigation solutions to reduce the BTEX emission in HCMC.

Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) are carcinogenic pollutants. However, the average concentration in 1 h of some pollutants belonging to BTEX, such as benzene, in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is higher than the national standard QCVN 06:2009/BTNMT by about ten times. This research is the first to calculate the emission of BTEX for developing countries on a city scale. This paper developed a method to calculate cold emission factors based on hot emission factors for BTEX. Five spreadsheets developed and calculated these cold emission factors for five vehicle categories. A comprehensive emission inventory (EI) for BTEX was conducted in HCMC to determine the cause of BTEX pollution. An innovative methodology with bottom-up and top-down combination was applied to conduct BTEX EI, in which the EMISENS model was utilized to generate the EI for road traffic sources, and the emission factors method was utilized for other emission sources. Among emission reasons, motorcycles contribute the highest to HCMC air pollution, responsible for 93%, 90%, 98.9%, and 91.5% of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene, respectively. Cars contributed 5%, 6%, 0.8%, and 6.5% of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene, respectively. For LDVs, the emission from benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene accounted for 1%, 2%, 0.2%, and 1.9%. The major reasons for point sources were metal production, which had 1%, 2%, and 0.1% for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes emissions. The area source had a minority emission of total BTEX in Ho Chi Minh City. Our findings can be used to invest in the most significant sources to reduce BTEX in HCMC. Our approach can be applied in similar urban areas in BTEX EI. This research also developed nine measures to reduce BTEX in HCMC for human health protection.

We highlight the important roles the direct spin-orbit (DSO) coupling, the spin-vibronic (SV) coupling, and the dielectric constant of the medium play on the reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) mechanism of TXO-TPA and TXO-PhCz molecules. To understand this complex phenomenon, we have calculated the RISC rate constant, kRISC, using a time-dependent correlation function-based method within the framework of second-order perturbation theory. Our computed kRISC in two different solvents, toluene and chloroform, suggests that in addition to the DSO, a dielectric medium-dependent SV mechanism may also have a significant impact on the net enhancement of the rate of RISC from the lowest triplet state to the first excited singlet state. Whereas we have found that kRISC of TXO-TPA is mostly determined by the DSO contribution independent of the choice of the solvent, the SV mechanism contributes more than 30% to the overall kRISC of TXO-PhCz in chloroform. In toluene, however, the SV mechanism is less important for the RISC process of TXO-PhCz. An analysis of mode-specific nonadiabatic coupling (NAC) between T2 and T1 of TXO-PhCz and TXO-TPA suggests that the NAC values in certain normal modes of TXO-PhCz are much higher than those of TXO-TPA, and it is more pronounced with chloroform as a solvent. The findings demonstrate the role of the solvent-assisted SV mechanism toward the net RISC rate constant, which in turn maximizes the efficiency of thermally activated delayed fluorescence.

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This article reports a poisoning case after occupational exposure to toluene, xylene, and ethylbenzene for 3 days. The main clinical manifestation of the patient was consciousness disorder. After dehydration, cerebral awakening, anti-epileptic and anti-myoclonic treatment, the patient had secondary epilepsy and cerebellar ataxia for a long time. According to diagnostic criteria, the patient was diagnosed with occupational acute chemical poisoning (severe) , occupational acute chemical poisoning sequelae. It is suggested that the clinical awareness of benzene compound poisoning should be strengthened, early diagnosis and early treatment should be carried out to improve the prognosis of patients.
本文报道1例职业性接触甲苯、二甲苯、乙苯3 d后中毒病例。患者以意识障碍为主要临床表现，经脱水、醒脑、抗癫痫及抗肌阵挛等治疗后，长期遗留有继发性癫痫及小脑共济失调。根据标准诊断患者为职业性急性化学物中毒（重度）、职业性急性化学物中毒后遗症。提示临床应加强对苯类化合物中毒的认识，早诊断、早治疗，以改善患者预后。.

BACKGROUND: Imatinib mesylate is a first-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Piperamido Nitrotoluene, also known as F5, is an intermediate used in the manufacturing of imatinib. We present a case series of allergic contact dermatitis to F5 in pharmaceutical workers.
METHODS: Four male pharmaceutical workers were referred between 2007 and 2021 with new dermatitis predominantly affecting the periorbital region. All were involved in the production of imatinib and particularly exposed to F5. Following medical history and examination, they underwent patch testing to standard series and F5 diluted in white soft paraffin (WSP).
RESULTS: All patients tested positive confirming a diagnosis of contact allergy to F5. The first case tested positive to F5 diluted to 1% in WSP, the second to F5 diluted to 10% in WSP and the third and fourth to F5 diluted to 1% and 10% in WSP. In all four cases, dermatitis resolved when they were removed from exposure to F5.
CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, these are the first cases of allergic contact dermatitis to F5 confirmed by patch testing in the literature. In February 2016, a generic formulation of imatinib entered the market. Globalized production of imatinib may result in further cases presenting to dermatology departments worldwide.