Excretion of P-Nitrophenol and p-Aminophenol in the Urine of a Patient Exposed to Nitrobenzene

Abstract

An account is given of a patient who had had chronic exposure to nitrobenzene and in whom the metabolites,p-nitrophenol andp-aminophenol, were present in the urine. A method of separative determination of these two substances in urine is described.A 47-year-old woman, after being exposed to nitrobenzene for 17 months, was admitted to hospital because of headache, nausea, cyanosis, and general weakness. Laboratory study revealed, in addition to methaemoglobinaemia, the presence of p-aminophenol as well as p-nitrophenol in the urine. Both compounds gradually disappeared from the urine during the two weeks after she was removed from the toxic agent. The fate of methaemoglobinaemia paralleled that of these two compounds. Case ReportA 47-year-old woman had been employed for 17 months in a small paint firm where she painted and polished lids of pans with a red paint containing nitrobenzene as solvent.At the end of March 1963 the workshop was remodelled, and ventilation became rather poor.On May 17, she complained of severe headache, nausea, vertigo, and numbness in the legs. Her appetite became very poor. Liver damage, hypotension, and cyanosis were recorded by a general practitioner. After five days of rest in bed she felt 'all right' and went back to work.There was a second attack of severe headache, nausea, and severe general weakness on August 16. This attack forced her to take to her bed and she was admitted to hospital the next day.On physical examination the patient was emaciated and in obvious distress; the body temperature was normal, the blood pressure was 120/72 mm. Hg, and the pulse 70, regular. The lips and oral mucosa were cyanotic and the sclerae were slightly icteric. The liver was palpable one and a half fingers' breadth below the right costal margin and was tender on pressure. The spleen was palpablk two fingers' breadth below the left costal margin and was also tender. There was hyperalgesia to pin-prick on the back of the hands and feet with slight cyanosis, but no thermal changes in the skin were detected. The patient felt 'stiff in the arm' when writing.After the administration of glucose, vitamin B1, vitamin B,, and iron preparations, the cyanosis and general weakness disappeared gradually and the numbness in the legs was relieved. Her appetite began to return and her body weight was restored to normal. The patient was discharged after 39 days in hospital with only residual hyperalgesia in the hands and feet.It should be noted that her friend, a woman of 53 years employed on the same work, was also sent to hospital with similar symptoms two weeks before the admission of the present patient. Laboratory InvestigationsUrine.-Urine samples were collected every 24 hours. To hydrolyse sulphates and glucuronides of phenols, 1 ml. of urine was mixed with 3 ml. of 1/3N H2SO4 in a 10 ml. ampoule, and the ampoule was sealed and heated in a boiling water bath for one hour as described in a previous report (Ikeda, 1964).Two millilitres (of aliquot) were transferred from the ampoule to a 20-ml. glass-stoppere...

Intravenous injection of India ink with suicidal intent

“…The only comparable case reports are therefore of intoxication with aromatic nitro compounds incorporated into the body via inhalation, ingestion, or absorption through the skin. The manifestations of such an intoxication are secondary to local irritation at the entry site and to methemoglobin formation [6][7][8]12]. The amount of hemolysis is generally clinically insignificant.…”

“…Their potential for inducing toxic effects in humans is due to the many basic substances, intermediary products, inorganic pigments and solvents that they contain [3,4]. Most nitro and amino compounds used as solvents for dyestuffs are hemoglobin poisons, therefore the clinical picture that results from their incorporation into the body is marked by methemoglobin formation and direct substrate effects [4][5][6][7][8]. We report here on a case of a patient who gave himself an intravenous injection of India ink with suicidal intent.…”

Photocatalytic Degradation of Nitrobenzene Using Nanocrystalline TiO2 Photocatalyst Doped with Zn Ions

“…Nitrobenzene (NB) is a carcinogenic pollutant widely used in the production of different products such as dyes, explosives and pesticides [1]. It is frequently released in the effluent from explosives manufacturing industry as well as in the manufacturing of organic chemicals and plastics [2]. Even at low concentrations NB can involve high risks to ecological and human health [3].…”

Nitrobenzene-adsorption capacity of carbon materials released during the combustion of woody biomass

“…In several instances, accidental spills of NB during production of industrial chemicals have resulted in environmental pollution [1][2][3][4]. Exposure to NB via inhalation or absorption through the skin causes methemoglobinemia, which results in fatigue, dizziness, headache and nausea [5]. NB is one of the aromatic compounds that remains in the environment for relatively long periods of time [6].…”