- A Case of Intoxication of Ingested Formalin
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Seon-Hee Baek, Kyung-Hwan Kim, Jun-Seok Park, Dong-Wun Shin, Jun-Young Roh, Kyoung-Mi Lee, Ah-Jin Kim
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J Korean Soc Clin Toxicol. 2009;7(1):38-40. Published online June 30, 2009
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Abstract
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- Formalin is a water-soluble, colorless, pungent, irritating and highly reactive gas. A 40% solution of formaldehyde in water, also known as formalin, is used as a disinfectant, antiseptic, deodorant, tissue fixative and embalming fluid. Ingestion can lead to immediate deleterious effects on almost all systems of the body including gastrointestinal tract, central nervous system, cardiovsacular system and hepato-renal system, causing gastrointestinal hemorrhage, cardiovsacular collapse, unconsciousness or convulsions, severe metabolic acidosis and acute respiratory distress syndrome. We treated a 39-year-old woman who ingested 300 ml formalin in a suicidal attempt. Despite hemodialysis, death occurred after 23 h.
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