[Diagnosis of acute parathion intoxication and medical-legal consequences].
During a toxicological screening of a 16-year-old girl, in a clinical toxicological case, a parathion-intoxication has been detected. GC/MS revealed the presence of ethyl parathion in the gastric content and p-nitrophenol in urine. p-Nitrophenol is a major metabolite of ethyl-parathion. A serum concentration of 0.07 mg/L of ethyl parathion was measured by GC/MS-SIM. During hospitalisation the severity of parathion intoxication was monitored by measurement of pseudo-cholines-terase activities in serum. The young girl recovered well of her intoxication after a few days, without any apparent sequellae. A preliminary inquiry revealed that the adolescent had consumed a bowl of soup at the home of a 67-year-old female neighbour, who died the same day. Her corpse was found at her home. The certificate of death, written by the doctor in charge, attested a heart failure. Due to the results of the toxicological analyses from the kid, the juridical authorities ordered an autopsy of the corpse of the lady. Ethyl parathion was found in the gastric content and p-nitrophenol in urine. Even after several temptations it has not been possible to detect ethyl parathion neither in blood nor in some organs. But it was possible to detect traces of p-nitrophenol her blood.
Hamen
J
J
Laboratoire National de Santé, Centre Universitaire de Luxembourg.
Wennig
R
R
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D001344:Autopsy / Q000379:methods; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D007306:Insecticides / Q000506:poisoning*; D010278:Parathion / Q000506:poisoning*; D010573:Pesticide Residues / Q000506:poisoning*; D018629:Spectrometry, Mass, Secondary Ion
D007306:Insecticides; D010573:Pesticide Residues; D010278:Parathion