Poisonous correction fluid?

[David H]

They used to tell us certain ingredients in correction fluid were highly toxic, such as xylene and trichloroethylene. Do these only apply to the liquid form or still apply after the fluid has dried on the paper?

[Octavius]

I thought that this was mainly in reference to the �thinner� used to de-clug it (so to speak). Bottles of thinner originally contained toluene and as this was shown to be carcinogenic so it was banned. Later bottles contained Trichloroethane (a type of anaesthetic gas) and a skin irritant now banned under the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer, and then the slightly safer trichloroethylene. Thinners currently used with correction fluid include bromopropane.

[Teddio]

The ingredients you mention are highly volatile and rapidly evaporate leaving an inert and harmless white plastic material on the paper.