Multi-organ toxicity and death following acute unintentional inhalation of paint thinner fumes.

BACKGROUND: Paint thinners containing a mixture of volatile organic solvents have considerable potential for solvent abuse. Deaths from solvent inhalation have been reported but most of them relate to intentional solvent abuse and occur soon after exposure. Accidental death due to unintentional inhalation of solvent vapors can also occur suddenly but more often, death results from late complications secondary to multi-organ toxicity. Malfunctioning of the cardiorespiratory, renal, and central nervous systems as a result of latent-toxic effects of solvent exposure has received little attention. CASE REPORT: An adult male unintentionally inhaled an excessive amount of paint thinner vapors and immediately developed central nervous system effects, followed by severe cardiorespiratory and renal pathologies that ultimately led to death 11 days after exposure. CONCLUSION: Acute unintentional inhalation of paint thinner fumes resulted in serious multi-organ toxicity and death. This case strongly suggests the need to employ suitable precautionary measures while handling volatile organic solvents in a confined area.

Repeated episodes of endosulfan poisoning.

INTRODUCTION: A number of families in a rural area of Jabalpur District (Madhya Pradesh), India, were affected by repeated episodes of convulsive illness over a period of three weeks. The aim of this investigation was to determine the cause of the illness. METHODS: The investigation included a house-to-house survey, interviews of affected families, discussions with treating physicians, and examination of hospital records. Endosulfan poisoning was suspected as many villagers were using empty pesticide containers for food storage. To confirm this, our team collected blood and food samples, which were transported to the laboratory and analyzed with GC-ECD. RESULTS: Thirty-six persons of all age groups had illness of varying severity over a period of three weeks. In the first week, due to superstitions and lack of treatment, three children died. In the second week, symptomatic treatment of affected persons in a district hospital led to recovery but recurrence of convulsive episodes occurred after the return home. In the third week, 10 people were again hospitalized in a teaching hospital. Investigations carried out in this hospital ruled out infective etiology but no facilities were available for chemical analysis. All persons responded to symptomatic treatment. The blood and food samples analyzed by our team showed presence of endosulfan, which was confirmed by GCMS. One of the food items (Laddu) prepared from wheat flour was found to contain 676 ppm of alpha-endosulfan. CONCLUSIONS: Contamination of wheat grains or flour with endosulfan and its consumption over a period of time was the most likely cause of repeated episodes of convulsions, but the exact reason for this contamination could not be determined. This report highlights the unsafe disposal of pesticide containers by illiterate farm workers, superstitions leading to delay in treatment, and susceptibility of children to endosulfan.

Isolation and antimalarial activity of peroxydisulfate oxidation products of primaquine.

Five compounds formed by peroxydisulfate oxidation of primaquine were isolated using chromatographic methods and evaluated for antimalarial activity in vitro. One compound 6-methoxy-5,8 bis(4'-amino-1'-methylbutylamino)quinoline [P(1)] was found to have good gametocytocidal activity against Plasmodium yoelli infected mice at 10mg kg(-1) dose in vivo.