Cyanoacrylates are a family of strong fast-acting adhesives with industrial, medical, and household uses.
Such adhesives have a short shelf life.
Associated with some minor toxicity.
It can be safer and more functional for wound closure than traditional suturing.
It is superior in time required to close wounds, incidence of infection and finally cosmetic appearance than sutures.
Suture penetrates through the skin’s epidermal, dermal, and subcutaneous fat layers and introduces additional routes of contamination.
There are three cyanoacrylate compounds currently available as topical skin adhesives.
If parts of the skin are torn off, when cyanoacrylate adhesives adhere to body parts injuries may occur.
The glue will spontaneously separate from the skin in up to four days.
Separation can be accelerated by applying vegetable oil around the glue.
Cyanoacrylate fumes are a vaporized form of the cyanoacrylate monomer that irritate the sensitive mucous membranes of the respiratory tract.
The fumes are immediately polymerized by the moisture in the membranes and become inert.
Risks of fumes are minimized by its utilization in well-ventilated areas.
About 5% of the population can become sensitized to cyanoacrylate fumes
After repeated exposure, about 5% of the population can become sensitized to the fumes and result in flu-like symptoms.
It can be a skin irritant manifesting as an allergic reaction.
Rarely, can precipitate asthma.
No singular measurement of toxicity is available for all cyanoacrylate adhesives..
Applying cyanoacrylate to some natural materials such as cotton jeans, cotton swabs, cotton balls, and certain yarns or fabrics, or leather or wool, fiberglass and carbon filter results in a exothermic reaction.
The exothermic reaction releasing heat may cause serious burns or release irritating white smoke.
Users should not to wear cotton or wool clothing, especially cotton gloves, when applying or handling cyanoacrylates.
Acetone, is a widely available solvent capable of softening cured cyanoacrylate.