Acetone is the simplest example of the ketones. It is a clear, colorless, mobile liquid. Acetone is completely miscible with water and most organic solvents and oils. It therefore serves as an important industrial solvent for cleaning, as a common building block in organic chemistry, and as a precursor to polymers. Well‐known domestic uses of acetone are as the active ingredient in nail polish remover and as paint thinner.
Acetone is the most widely used ketone in industry. It is used primarily to synthesize methacrylates, about half of the world's production of acetone is used as a precursor to methyl methacrylate. Other large‐scale chemicals derived from acetone are bisphenol A and methyl isobutyl ketone. Acetone is also used as a process solvent in the manufacture of cellulose acetate yarn, smokeless gun powder, surface coatings, and various pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. Other solvent uses include paint, ink, resin, and varnish formulations; thinning of fiberglass resin; cleaning of fiberglass tools; and dissolution of two‐part epoxies and superglues before hardening.
Acetone is a normal by‐product of mammalian metabolism and is thus found in all tissues, including blood, as well as in urine and breath. The levels vary, depending on nutritional and metabolic conditions, and are increased in obese compared with slim people and in working compared with resting people. Diabetic patients show markedly elevated levels of acetone.
Acetone is readily taken up via inhalation if present in ambient air and via the gastrointestinal tract if ingested. Uptake via skin is of minor importance. However, due to its excellent solvent properties, acetone readily removes water from the skin. This impairs the barrier properties and makes the skin more vulnerable to other irritating, sensitizing, or infectious agents.
Compared with many other industrial solvents, acetone is of relatively low toxicity. The critical effect, that is, the first effect that appears as the exposure level increases, is mild respiratory tract and eye irritation. At higher exposures, CNS effects such as lightheadedness and headache are observed. In general, signs and symptoms of acetone intoxication, such as vomiting, convulsions, and unconsciousness, are nonspecific. Acetone is rapidly cleared from the body, mainly by metabolism and, to some extent, by excretion via breath and urine, and toxic effects after chronic exposure in general agree with those following acute exposure.
Reproductive and developmental effects appear only after much higher doses of acetone than those causing irritation and CNS effects. Genotoxicity is not observed
in vitro
and
in vivo
. No carcinogenicity studies are available. Limited data from tumor promotion studies, using acetone as a vehicle or a promoter, suggest that dermally applied acetone is not tumorigenic.
