[Fatal sodium azide poisoning in a hospital: a preventable accident]

A case of fatal sodium azide poisoning is reported. From the hospital staff, a 57 year old patient had obtained 1 g of sodium azide in order to put it as a preservative, in his 24 hour urinal. Probably due to an error, he swallowed the total dose. A cardiovascular collapse was cause of the death after five hours of intensive treatment and reanimation. Azide anions were found in blood (traces, less than 0.5 mg/L), vitreous (10 mg/L) and cerebrospinal fluid (20 mg/L). The use of sodium azide for disinfection of urine samples should be regarded as obsolete. Less toxic substances for disinfection are available. To avoid chemical disinfection, urine samples can be kept at 4-8 degrees C prior to rapid analysis.