Alveolar damage due to inhalation of amitrole-containing herbicide

Amitrole-containing herbicides are commonly used by home and cottage owners for spraying grass. They are manufactured and distributed in the United States, Canada and throughout the world by several pharmaceutical/chemical industries under many different trade names, such as Amitrole-T, Amizol, Azolan, Cytrol and Weedazol. They have not been previously associated with pulmonary toxicity in man or laboratory animals. We describe the first case in which inhalation of amitrole herbicide resulted in diffuse, asymmetric, severe alveolar damage, which was reversed after treatment with high-dose corticosteroids.