Paraffin oil pneumonia. Analysis of saturated hydrocarbons in different human tissue.

Temperature-programmed gas chromatographic analysis on columns packed with Apiezon L as stationary phase is shown to be the best method for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of simple and complex hydrocarbon mixtures when compared with all the other applicable techniques (thin-layer chromatography, column chromatography, ultraviolet spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, mass spectrometry) described in this paper. Using the method in a patient with mineral oil pneumonia it could be demonstrated that he expectorated a maximum of 79.5 mg liquid paraffin daily and also transported equally complex saturated hydrocarbons in a concentration of 1.3 mg% in plasma and of 1.6 mg% in the cellular blood components. In an additional experiment the direct determination of liquid paraffin resorbed from the gastrointestinal tract was possible in a patient with a left chyle fistula in the neck. After a dose of 50 g liquid paraffin administered as a laxative, 246 ml chyle was collected within the following 14 h which yielded a total of 4.5 mg liquid paraffin. Its composition was identical with the administered laxative. Assuming a daily lymph volume of 1.51, the resorbed amount would correspond to a resorption rate of 0.5 (see article) liquid paraffin. The importance of these results as well as the diagnostic consequences arising from the described analytical technique are discussed in detail.