Fernando R, Harendra De Silva D G, Amarasena T S
Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo.
Forensic Sci Int. 1990 Jan;44(1):23-6. doi: 10.1016/0379-0738(90)90162-r.
Paraquat, a useful contact herbicide is now used in over 130 countries of the world, including Sri Lanka. The number of cases of accidental poisoning reported with paraquat is small, relative to instances of suicide. When a clear history is not available, accidental paraquat poisoning is sometimes difficult to diagnose. A 9-year-old boy was admitted to a peripheral hospital with a history of diarrhoea and vomiting. He later developed abdominal pain, subcutaneous emphysema and difficulty in breathing. Following transfer to a district hospital and then to a teaching hospital, poisoning with paraquat was suspected only on day 11 of the illness. On persistent questioning, on day 13 of the illness the child remembered that the day prior to the onset of illness, on his way from a shop, he felt thirsty and having found an empty bottle of Gramoxone (paraquat) on the wayside he used it to drink water from a water tank. The child died on day 17 and the histology of the lung showed typical changes of paraquat poisoning. This tragic episode emphasises the need for proper disposal of empty containers of all poisonous substances.
百草枯，一种常用的触杀型除草剂，目前在包括斯里兰卡在内的世界130多个国家使用。与自杀案例相比，百草枯意外中毒的报告病例数量较少。当没有明确的病史时，意外百草枯中毒有时难以诊断。一名9岁男孩因腹泻和呕吐病史入住一家基层医院。他后来出现腹痛、皮下气肿和呼吸困难。转至地区医院，然后又转至教学医院后，直到患病第11天才怀疑是百草枯中毒。经过持续询问，在患病第13天，孩子想起在发病前一天，他从商店回来的路上感到口渴，在路边发现一个空的克无踪（百草枯）瓶子，就用它从水箱里喝水。孩子于第17天死亡，肺部组织学检查显示出百草枯中毒的典型变化。这一悲惨事件强调了妥善处理所有有毒物质空容器的必要性。
