The Diagnosis of a Case of Household Cleaner Fatality

Household cleaners are an unavoidable entity in our routine domestic life. They are available either in company-labeled bottles or locally made unlabeled bottles especially in the developing countries. In this report, we are discussing a case of fatal ingestion of household cleaner, which was stored in an unlabeled bottle. The deceased developed features of gastrointestinal irritation, such as vomiting and pain in throat and abdomen. He also had features of aspiration such as cough and chest crepitation. Finally, he developed metabolic acidosis, gastric perforation, respiratory failure, and died within a day. The autopsy features such as teeth discoloration, corrosion of mouth and lips, and histopathological findings helped us in concluding that the ingredients contained some corrosive mineral acid. This case highlights the importance of histopathological examination of viscera in alleged cases of household cleaner poisoning where toxicological analysis of viscera gives negative results.