Sniffing led to poisoning

Press, 15 June 1983, Page 20

Sniffing led to poisoning

Sixteen years of petrol sniffing has led to the first documented New Zealand case of lead poisoning from the habit.

The symptoms and treatment of a Polynesian man, aged 21, who was admitted to Waikato Hospital have been reported in the latest issue of the “New Zealand Medical Journal.” The author of the article, Dr Amanda Brown, said organic lead poisoning from inhaling petrol fumes was sometimes seen overseas but it was possibly the first such case reported in New Zealand.

The patient started sniffing petrol when he was four and it had been a regular habit for the last nine years. He was admitted to hos-

pital with a three-week history of increasing weight loss, difficulty in walking, clumsiness, and jerky arm movements. On the same day he had two grand mal seizures.

Psychological tests showed the man had poor short term memory and learning ability, she said. Medication led to a rapid improvement in his body movements. Fifteen weeks after being discharged progress was maintained and the man appeared normal, though intellectually dull. The head of the National Poisons Centre in Dunedin, Professor Ralph Edwards, said it was the first definite case of its kind in New Zealand. The only other case, reported to the centre

about 18 months ago, had been unsubstantiated.

However, he did not expect to see an increase in lead poisoning among petrol sniffers.

“Only a small percentage like this guy will get hooked on it and will get problems,” he said. Solvept use was a fad phenomenon, he said. Petrol contained little lead and there was unlikely to be more than one case a year where the habit was longstanding enough to cause major physical damage.