## Methylene chloride

**Formula**

$CH2Cl2$

**Pyrotechnics use**


**Synonyms**

Dichloromethane, DCM, Methylene dichloride, Solmethine, Narkotil, Solaesthin

**Description**

Methylene chloride is a solvent that is used for parlon, saran, and paint thinning etc. They are also used to solvent-bond plastic aerial shell halves.

**Sources** 

Methylene chloride can easily be purchased from paint and hardward stores. It can not be made at home.

**Hazards**

Methylene chloride also know as dichloromethane is the least toxic of the simple chlorohydrocarbons, but it is not without its health risks as its high volatility makes it an acute inhalational hazard. Dichloromethane is also metabolized by the body to carbon monoxide potentially leading to carbon monoxide poisoning. Prolonged skin contact can result in the dichloromethane dissolving some of the fatty tissues in skin, resulting in skin irritation or chemical burns. It may be carcinogenic, as it has been linked to cancer of the lungs, liver, and pancreas in laboratory animals. Dichloromethane is a mutagen and crosses the placenta, causing fetal toxicity in women who are exposed to it during pregnancy. In animal experiments it was fetotoxic at doses that were maternally toxic but no teratogenic effects were seen.

