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Inadvertent poisoning of seven teenagers with monosodium methanearsonate
Robert D Cox1, Jeffrey Orledge
1Mississippi Poison Control Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216, USA. rcox@umc.edu
Introduction:
Monosodium methanearsonate (MSMA) is an organo-arsenic containing herbicide. There is scant information available concerning the toxicity of this chemical in humans.
Case Report:
Seven male teenagers, 15-18 years of age, inadvertently used a MSMA herbicide as cooking oil to fry fish. All had early gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Whole blood arsenic concentrations ranged from 348 to 613 μg/L and initial urine levels ranged from 81 400 to 226 300 μg-arsenic/g-creatinine. They were all treated with dimercaprol for 1 day and succimer for 19 days. They were followed for 15-months and had no evidence of any serious toxicity.
Conclusion:
MSMA produces early GI symptoms and very high levels of arsenic in blood and urine, but no evidence of long-term toxicity.
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