| Radiopacity of household deodorizers, air fresheners, and moth repellents. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 8355318 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Household deodorizers and moth repellents are common agents implicated in many childhood poisonings. Their ingredients usually include either paradichlorobenzene or naphthalene compressed into a solid ball or another shape, sometimes with added essential oils and fragrances. Because medically naphthalene is a more important toxin than paradichlorobenzene, with hematologic and nervous system effects, clinicians often seek to discern which product has been ingested. We discovered fortuitously that a mothball swallowed by a retarded adult was radiopaque, and so designed an in vitro experiment to study the radiopacity of a variety of household deodorizers and products. Of 10 products screened for radiopacity by two radiologists, those containing paradichlorobenzene were consistently strongly radiopaque; those containing naphthalene were radiolucent. A third alternative ingredient which is used in some toilet bowl deodorizers, cetrimonium bromide, was also radiopaque. Radiopacity of paradichlorobenzene or cetrimonium bromide-containing products did not dissipate with time. We speculate that the halogen within the chemical structure of these compounds accounts for their radiopacity. We conclude that paradichlorobenzene-containing commercial products can be distinguished clinically from those containing naphthalene by the performance of an abdominal radiograph. |
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Authors:
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A D Woolf; A Saperstein; J Zawin; R Cappock; Y J Sue |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Case Reports; Comparative Study; Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Journal of toxicology. Clinical toxicology Volume: 31 ISSN: 0731-3810 ISO Abbreviation: J. Toxicol. Clin. Toxicol. Publication Date: 1993 |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 1993-09-21 Completed Date: 1993-09-21 Revised Date: 2006-11-15 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 8213460 Medline TA: J Toxicol Clin Toxicol Country: UNITED STATES |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 415-28 Citation Subset: AIM; IM |
Affiliation:
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Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. |
Export Citation:
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APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Administration, Oral Adult Chlorobenzenes / poisoning Deodorants / poisoning Foreign Bodies / radiography* Household Products / poisoning* Humans Male Naphthalenes / poisoning Poisoning / radiography* Stomach / radiography* |
| Chemical | |
Reg. No./Substance:
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0/Chlorobenzenes; 0/Deodorants; 0/Naphthalenes; 106-46-7/4-dichlorobenzene |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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