Tetraethyl lead poisoning from gasoline sniffing

In two cases of organic lead poisoning due to habitual gasoline sniffing, one patient had temporary hypomania and recovered with treatment, while the other patient (who died) had signs of severe CNS and peripheral nervous system, muscle, hepatic, and renal damage. In addition he had features of long-term inorganic lead poisoning. This and the response of both cases to chelating agents suggest that organic lead is degraded in vivo to inorganic lead.