Abstract
To the Editor: Most popular paint removers contain methylene chloride, which when metabolized in vivo, produces carboxyhemoglobin (COHb).1 2 3 In a controlled study, exposure to methylene chloride vapors for two to three hours caused COHb levels of 5 to 15 per cent.2 Such COHb levels stress patients with underlying cardiac or pulmonary disease, and use of a paint remover containing methylene chloride has been implicated in a fatal myocardial infarction.2 That report stimulated our curiosity and, in the morning after a six-hour furniture-stripping session, led to the discovery of COHb levels of 26 and 40 per cent (Table 1). Having . . .

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