1988 Volume 30 Issue 1 Pages 54-60
Methyl bromide has been widely used in Japan to fumigate grains and wood. One death and 3 cases of hospitalization resulted from exposure to methyl bromide at place of residince. These 4 cases were notemployed and were members of one family living above a warehouse, the ground level of this building was a warehouse where herbs were stored and the second floor was their living area.
On the 13th of May 1978 at 7:00p.m., the herbs were fumigated with methyl bromide gas. The fumigator used 15kg of methyl bromide (2 cylinders), a quantity far greater than usual. It is assumed that the concentration in the warehouse was between 10, 000-15, 000ppm.
Early in the morning on the 16th of May (3 days later), one of the family members, a 12-year-old girl, developed severe convulsions, and later 2 others also had severe convulsions, while the other suffered from marked mental confusion.
The serum or plasma bromide ion level ranged from 280 to 600ppm. The results of the clinical laboratory test showed that GOT exceeded the normal level in 3 out of the 4 cases. Moreover, LDH activity was above the normal range in 3 cases and CPK activity was increased in all the cases.
The main method of treatment was hemodialysis.
