ETHYLENE DICHLORIDE PLASTIC CEMENT: A CASE OF FATAL POISONING

4 August 1951

journal article
research article
Published by American Medical Association (AMA) in JAMA

Vol. 146 (14) , 1323
https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1951.63670140011011h

Abstract

Ethylene dichloride, a chlorinated hydrocarbon (CH₂C1-CH₂C1 ) with an aromatic chloroformlike odor, is an oily, colorless fluid slightly soluble in water. It is used in large amounts industrially as a degreasing reagent, a cholesterol extractor, a fumigator, and a solvent for oils, waxes, and rubber. It has been known to be highly toxic since its use as an anesthetic more than 100 yr. ago. Heppel and others¹recently have described the pathological findings in laboratory animals subjected to poisoning by the chemical. Despite its widespread use industrially it has not produced a fatality in any of the reported cases of poisoning by inhalation. On the other hand, ingestion is generally followed by death. Ten such cases have been found in the world literature.²However, only one of these cases is reported in the American literature. The substance was mistaken for liquor by the majority of

Keywords

ETHYLENE CHLORIDE

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: