Sprayed myself with gasoline

hightidebride

I was pumping gas today and my 15 month old was screaming impatiently in the backseat.  I was leaning in to calm her down while pumping (dumb I know) and the pump came out and sprayed gas at the car spraying it all over me.  I was soaked with gas.  It was so bad.  I rushed home, stripped down and showered.  But I know I breathed in a lot, not to mention how much was soaking into my skin while I was driving home.  I actually considered stripping in the middle of the gas station parking lot but decided against that.  Anyway, how bad is that (I'm 17 weeks)?  I can't stop worrying about it.  Also, any tips on washing my clothes??  Thanks!

2gr8pits

lol I cannot get gas without spraying myself...DH gets it for me now. I know it sounds like I am dumb but I seriously don't know how to put the pump in so EVERY time it pops out once the tank is full and sprays all over before the thing releases itself. DH has even made me go with him, I do it and same thing, it flies out at the end. But it NEVER has happened to him with the same car and pump! I am sure you are fine, but you can always call the doctor and ask. I usually just wash my clothes like normal and they are fine...

femmepink

I work in a refinery laboratory and test gasoline all day.

I work with some women who been pregnant while smelling gasoline all day. Although it doesn't touch our skin (we wear gloves), gasoline is not very harmful in short-term exposures such as; getting it on your skin for a few minutes or inhaling it in small doses a few times a day. It is not particularily harmful to a fetus either. Look up MSDS sheets on it for the chemical information. 

We've had a lot of industrial hygiene testing done because of a lot of worries, and nothing huge comes up.

However, gasoline contains hydrocarbons such as benzene which are carcinogens. Gasoline on your skin or inhaled is NOT by any means safe and WILL cause damage long-term...so I am not at all saying it is harmless.

But getting some on you ONCE at the gas station SHOULDN'T do harm. If you are concerned, mention it to your doctor the next time you go.

 

ETA: all of the babies born to women I work with have been perfectly healthy