What Is Kerosene?

ATSDR describes fuel oils as liquid mixtures produced from petroleum that are mostly burned as fuels, and says commonly found fuel oils include kerosene, diesel fuel, jet fuel, range oil and home heating oil, used in engines, lamps, heaters, furnaces and stoves, or as solvents. It says drinking or breathing fuel oils may cause nausea or nervous system effects, but that exposure under normal use conditions is not likely to be harmful.

Swallowing it is dangerous. ATSDR says drinking small amounts of kerosene may cause vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, stomach swelling and cramps, drowsiness, restlessness, painful breathing, irritability and unconsciousness, and that drinking large amounts may cause convulsions, coma or death. The NIOSH Pocket Guide lists symptoms including irritation of the eyes, skin, nose and throat, a burning sensation in the chest, headache, nausea, confusion, drowsiness, dermatitis and chemical pneumonitis from aspirating the liquid, along with a recommended exposure limit of 100 mg/m3 as a time-weighted average and no OSHA permissible exposure limit.

Heaters affect indoor air. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says kerosene heaters produce low levels of pollutants such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide while burning fuel, and that exposure may be harmful, especially to people with chronic respiratory or circulatory health problems. The EPA says that in homes with gas stoves, kerosene heaters or unvented gas space heaters, indoor nitrogen dioxide levels often exceed outdoor levels.