Volume 7, Number 4, Supplement
Fumigation
Sep 1983

Thymol Safety

In their 1982 data sheet,^* the Center for Occupational Hazards personnel summarized safe work practices for thymol as follows:

1. Use local exhaust ventilation when handling and using thymol.
2. Wear neoprene or butyl rubber gloves when handling thymol.
3. In case of skin contact, wash with plenty of water; in case of eye contact rinse with water for at least 15 minutes and contact a physician.
4. Do not eat, drink or smoke when handling and using thymol. Wash hands after work and before eating.

They also say to use ortho-phenyl phenol rather than thymol whenever possible due to the lower toxicity of the o-phenyl phenol.

^* "Thymol and o-Phenyl Phenol: Safe Work Practices," by Deborah Nagin and Michael McCann. New York: Center for Occupational Hazards, 1982. 4 pp. $0.75.