ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the literature and describes some experiments that will permit a comparison of the inhalational toxicity of propane with that of other hydrocarbons and with that of chlorinated solvents and alcohols used in aerosol products. In a classification proposed in 1974, propane was grouped together with vinyl chloride and dichlorodifluoromethane, which are characterized as high-pressure propellants of intermediate toxicity. The occurrence of propane in the atmosphere is due to natural gas emissions, auto exhaust, and furnaces. Besides its use as a fuel, propane is also used as a solvent for preparing low-pressure ethylene copolymers and as a fuel in the canning industry. Propane, administered by inhalation to the open-chest dog preparation, induced the following myocardial and hemocynamic changes: (a)decrease in inotropism of the heart, (b) decrease in mean aortic pressure and stroke work, (c) decrease in cardiac output, and (d) increase in pulmonary vascular resistance.
