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Diethylene glycol poisoning in Gurgaon, India, 1998

J Singh1, A K Dutta, S Khare

  • 1National Institute of Communicable Diseases, 22 Shamnath Marg, Delhi 110054, India.

Bulletin of the World Health Organization
|March 13, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Diethylene glycol (DEG) in cough expectorant caused acute renal failure in 36 children in Delhi. Most children died despite treatment, highlighting the dangers of contaminated medicines.

Area of Science:

  • Toxicology
  • Pediatric Nephrology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Acute renal failure (ARF) outbreaks in children require urgent investigation.
  • Understanding the etiology of ARF in pediatric populations is crucial for effective public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the cause of ARF in 36 children admitted to Delhi hospitals between April and June 1998.
  • To identify potential sources of toxic exposure leading to pediatric ARF.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective data collection from hospital records, parental interviews, and healthcare providers.
  • Collection and testing of biological samples (blood, stool) and environmental samples (water).
  • Analysis of pharmaceutical products for potential contaminants using gas-liquid chromatography.

Main Results:

  • A significant number of affected children (26/36) were linked to the Gurgaon district.
  • Children presented with ARF following a febrile illness and treatment with unknown medications.
  • Kidney biopsies revealed acute tubular necrosis, and a high mortality rate (33/36) was observed despite supportive care and dialysis.

Conclusions:

  • Contaminated cough expectorant from a Gurgaon-based company, containing 17.5% diethylene glycol (DEG), was identified as the likely cause of DEG poisoning.
  • This poisoning led to acute renal failure in the pediatric patients.
  • The study underscores the critical need for stringent quality control in pharmaceutical manufacturing to prevent such public health crises.
Abstract

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