Chest Pain and Hypoxemia from Inhalation of a Trichloroethane Aerosol Product

Abstract
A 25-yr-old man developed severe shortness of breath, constricting chest pressure, chest pain, cough and myalgia following acute exposure to a waterproofing aerosol that contained trichloroethane. He became febrile and developed a small area of atelectasis with significant hypoxemia. Recovery was complete within 36 h. Casual use of a trichloroethane aerosol with a surface active agent caused acute pulmonary toxicity. The mechanism of this injury was not known.