What immediate health effects can be caused by exposure to methyl isocyanate?
Methyl isocyanate vapors are severely irritating and corrosive to the respiratory tract and eyes. Symptoms may include cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, watery eyes, eye pain (particularly when exposed to light), profuse lid edema, and corneal ulcerations. Respiratory symptoms such as pulmonary edema and bronchial spasms may occur in immediate response to exposure or develop and progress in severity over a period of hours to days post-exposure. Acute exposure to very high concentrations may be quickly fatal due to respiratory failure. Methyl isocyanate is a skin irritant and may cause chemical burns upon dermal contact.
