Case Reports1 March 1961KEROSENE PNEUMONITIS TREATED WITH ADRENAL STEROIDSROBERT L. MAYOCK, M.D., F.A.C.P., NOURALLAH BOZORGNIA, M.D., HARRY F. ZINSSER, M.D., F.A.C.P.ROBERT L. MAYOCK, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this author, NOURALLAH BOZORGNIA, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, HARRY F. ZINSSER, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-54-3-559 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptCrude oil and the various fractions derived from it, such as gasoline and kerosene, have toxic properties on inhalation and ingestion that involve principally the central nervous system, liver, kidneys, lungs, and heart.1Many cases of kerosene poisoning—and frequent deaths—have been reported as a result of accidental ingestion. Bain2 reported that 25% of accidental poisoning deaths in the United States in 1949 and 1950 were due to kerosene; however, this syndrome occurs usually in children in rural areas3 where kerosene is more in use.The subject of this report is an adult male who developed a pneumonitis with liver damage...Bibliography1. Steiner MM: Syndromes of kerosene poisoning in children. J. Dis. Child. 74: 32, 1947. MedlineGoogle Scholar2. Bain K: Death due to accidental poisoning in young children. J. Pediat. 44: 616, 1954. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Gershon-CohenBringhurstByrne JLSRN: Roentgenography of kerosene poisoning (chemical pneumonitis). Amer. J. Roentgenol. 69: 557 (Apr.) 1953. Google Scholar4. Graham JR: Pneumonitis following aspiration of crude oil and its treatment by steroid hormones. Trans. Amer. Clin. Climat. Ass. 67: 104, 1955-56. MedlineGoogle Scholar5. Page RC: Health of the petroleum worker. Arch. Industr. Health 11: 126, 1955. MedlineGoogle Scholar6. GleasonGosselinHodge MNREHC: Clinical toxicology of commercial products. The Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore, pp. 150-157, 1957. Google Scholar7. Pinkerton H: The reaction to oils and fats in the lung. Arch. Path. 5: 380, 1928. Google Scholar8. Waring JI: Pneumonia in kerosene poisoning. Amer. J. Med. Sci. 185: 325, 1933. CrossrefGoogle Scholar9. LesserWeensMcKey LIHSJD: Pulmonary manifestations following ingestion of kerosene. J. Pediat. 23: 352, 1943. CrossrefGoogle Scholar10. RichardsonPratt-Thomas JAHR: Toxic effects of varying doses of kerosene administered by different routes. Amer. J. Med. Sci. 221: 531, 1951. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar11. FoleyDreyerSouleWoll JCNBABE: Kerosene poisoning in young children. Radiology 62: 817, 1954. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar12. DeichmannKitzmillerWitherupJohansmann WBKVSR: Kerosene intoxication. Ann. Intern. Med. 21: 803 (Nov.) 1944. LinkGoogle Scholar13. BolognaWoody NANC: Kerosene poisoning. New Orleans M. and S. J. 101: 256, 1948. MedlineGoogle Scholar14. Heacock CH: Pneumonia in children following the ingestion of petroleum products. Radiology 53: 793, 1949. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar15. NunnMartin JAFM: Gasoline and kerosene poisoning in children. J. A. M. A. 103: 472, 1934. CrossrefGoogle Scholar16. ReedLeikinKerman ESSHD: Kerosene intoxication. J. Dis. Child. 79: 623, 1950. Google Scholar17. Nassau VE: Über Die Behandlung der Asperation von Petroleum mit Cortisone. Ann. Paediat. 178: 181 (Mar.) 1952. MedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania*Received for publication November 30, 1959.From the Pulmonary Disease Section, Edward B. Robinette Foundation, and Medical Clinic, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; and the Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.†Present address: Tehran, Iran.Requests for reprints should be addressed to Robert L. Mayock, M.D., Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce St., Philadelphia 4, Pennsylvania.†According to Dr. Robert J. Bower, Medical Director of The Atlantic Refining Company, the composition of Ultrasene is as follows: "Ultrasene is a heavily acid treated, narrow boiling range, kerosene material. Boiling range of 400 to 500° F. It has an average composition of: 70% paraffins, 28% naphthenes, 2% aromatics, .01 to .02% sulfur; specific gravity, 0.783; 60° F." PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byPulmonary Function 8 to 10 Years after Hydrocarbon PneumonitisAdrenocorticosteroid treatment of hydrocarbonpneumonia in children—a cooperative studyEffects of Drugs and Hyperbaric Oxygen Environment on Experimental Kerosene PneumonitisAdrenocortical Steroids in the Treatment of Kerosene Pneumonia 1 March 1961Volume 54, Issue 3Page: 559-566KeywordsHospital medicineIngestionInhalationLiverOilsPneumonitisPulmonary diseasesSteroid therapySteroidsTrachea ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 March 1961 PDF downloadLoading ...