title: Acute mercury vapor poisoning in a 3-month-old infant: A case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We investigated the clinical characteristics of a 3-month-old infant with acute mercury vapor poisoning. Clinical symptoms of acute mercury poisoning in infants include acute onset, rapid progression, severe illness with respiratory symptoms that may result in pneumothoraces and aspiration pneumonias.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 3-month-old girl presented with pneumothoraces and respiratory failure to the hospital. Two days before hospitalization, the girl had stayed in a room containing mercury vapor for several hours. She was hospitalized for acute mercury poisoning. We used sodium dimercaptosulphonate (DMPS) for treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pulmonary disease was mainly induced by the inhalation of mercury vapor. The disease was characterized by acute respiratory distress, pneumothorax and acute chemical pneumonitis. It responded to chelation therapy with the agent DMPS.
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Zhenyan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xiaolan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ying
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Ju
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
authors.forename: Shizhong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: yanch@shkeylab-ceh.org.
authors.forename: Chonghuai
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yan
mesh_terms: D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008628:Mercury / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D008630:Mercury Poisoning / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology*; D014494:Unithiol / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D002614:Chelating Agents; D014494:Unithiol; D008628:Mercury
keywords: Infant; Mercury vapor; Pneumothorax; Poisoning