Cardiac toxicity of perchloroethylene (a dry cleaning agent)

Perchloroethylene analysis was performed on plasma of a 24-year-old white man who presented with a history of premature ventricular beats, dizziness, and headaches. There was no clinical, electrocardiographic, radiologic, or echocardiographic evidence of heart disease. The occurrence of premature ventricular beats and the patient's symptoms were more pronounced when the plasma level of perchloroethylene was high (3.8 ppm). Removal of exposure to perchloroethylene relieved the patient's symptoms and the premature beats completely disappeared.