Pentachlorophenol intoxication: report of a fatal case, with comments on the clinical course and pathologic anatomy

A case of a 33-yr-old man who died following occupational exposure to pentachlorophenol is presented. Postmortem examination revealed cerebral edema and fatty degeneration of the viscera. Review of the literature indicates that the clinical syndrome of poisoning with the compound results from mitochondrial toxicity with derangement of aerobic metabolism.