Aspiration injury due to polyacrylamide.

Acute lung injury secondary to aspiration of polyacrylamide, a synthetic polymer used widely in industry, has not been previously described in man or animal. We report the case of a 26-year-old man who aspirated polyacrylamide gel while cleaning it out of a tank truck. Subsequently, severe airway obstruction and lung parenchymal damage developed, and the patient died. At autopsy, numerous polyacrylamide particles were found in the lungs, along with extensive bronchiolar and alveolar damage.