title: Inadvertent poisoning of seven teenagers with monosodium methanearsonate.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Monosodium methanearsonate (MSMA) is an organo-arsenic containing herbicide. There is scant information available concerning the toxicity of this chemical in humans.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven male teenagers, 15-18 years of age, inadvertently used a MSMA herbicide as cooking oil to fry fish. All had early gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Whole blood arsenic concentrations ranged from 348 to 613 μg/L and initial urine levels ranged from 81 400 to 226 300 μg-arsenic/g-creatinine. They were all treated with dimercaprol for 1 day and succimer for 19 days. They were followed for 15-months and had no evidence of any serious toxicity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MSMA produces early GI symptoms and very high levels of arsenic in blood and urine, but no evidence of long-term toxicity.
authors.affiliation: Mississippi Poison Control Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216, USA. rcox@umc.edu
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Orledge
mesh_terms: D000061:Accidents, Home; D000293:Adolescent; D000931:Antidotes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020261:Arsenic Poisoning / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D001152:Arsenicals / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003296:Cooking; D004112:Dimercaprol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D006540:Herbicides / Q000097:blood / Q000506:poisoning* / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009325:Nausea / Q000139:chemically induced; D004113:Succimer / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014839:Vomiting / Q000139:chemically induced
chemical_list: D000931:Antidotes; D001152:Arsenicals; D002614:Chelating Agents; D006540:Herbicides; D004112:Dimercaprol; D004113:Succimer; C020300:monomethylarsonic acid