The Health Risks of 1-Bromopane and How to Avoid Them
If 1-bromopane (a.k.a. NPB) were a person, it would be someone whose career started out on a high note due to his great effectiveness, but gradually descended into the gutter due to his increasingly obvious caustic qualities. To extend the analogy, using 1-bromopane as a cleaning solution is similar to hiring someone whose bad characteristics start to outweigh his good ones, especially when it comes to how they affect people in the work environment.
Is your company or organization still employing 1-bromopane as a go-to cleaning solution for industrial cleaning operations? If so, it’s time to give the toxic cleaning agent the boot before it has the chance to trouble your workers with the following health conditions, among others.
- Nervous System Damage
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, chronic exposure to NPB can lead to a myriad of nervous system problems, including: “difficulty walking, muscle twitching, and/or loss of feeling in arms and legs.” Employees that experience these conditions naturally have a higher rate of absenteeism and often initiate workers compensation claims.
- Profound Mental Confusion
The U.S. Department of Labor lists “confusion” as another malady that NPB exposure causes. Profound mental confusion is often a temporary effect of acute exposure to the cleaning agent, but confusion can seriously jeopardize the safety of workers while they are on the work floor. Imagine the risk of someone operating industrial machinery while feeling mentally confused.
- Slurred Speech
Speech slurring is another neurological malady that 1-bromopane causes and is a condition that often goes hand in hand with mental confusion. Good communication is an attribute of practically every successful work environment. One of the last things any company wants is for its workers to communicate as if they had one too many martinis at happy hour.
- Loss of Consciousness
In cases of severe, acute exposure to NPB, loss of consciousness can occur — a situation that is often preceded by the person experiencing dizziness. Like mental confusion, loss of consciousness is a major safety risk when it happens in the work environment. Even when no equipment is involved, loss of consciousness can lead to falls that cause head injuries.
- Development of Cancer
According to the National Toxicology Program, 1-bromopane is “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.” This observation is primarily based on studies that show the development of cancer in animals exposed to NPB vapor. Cancerous conditions resulting from NPB exposure may take a long time to develop, but when they do, personal injury lawsuits are often the result.
Need a 1-Bromopane Replacement?
The best way to avoid the health risks of 1-bromopane is to replace the cleaning agent with one that has a better safety profile. Although high-level personal protective equipment (PPE) and special ventilation systems that trap airborne contaminants can help reduce the risks, taking these measures can be far more expensive than implementing a 1-bromopane replacement.
For assistance identifying a NPB replacement that is safe to use and delivers the same cleaning power, call us today at (800) 563-1305, to speak with one of our product specialists. We will help you find a safer, powerful cleaner to replace NPB for your cleaning operations!