Gasoline Sniffing, Lead Poisoning, and Myoclonus

REPEATED intoxication by prolonged and deliberate inhalation of leaded gasoline vapors (gasoline sniffing) has been described and reviewed. 1,2 Lead encephalopathy associated with gasoline sniffing has rarely been reported. This case report illustrates the dangers of prolonged inhalation of leaded gasoline vapors, with resultant organic lead poisoning. Report of a Case A 27-year-old man was brought to the emergency room because he had been unable to eat and care for himself. According to a neighbor, the patient's affect had been inappropriate during the previous two months, and he had been observed experiencing sudden, quick, jerking movements throughout his body. There was a history of drug abuse. The patient was thin, well developed, and afebrile. His vital signs were normal. He was agitated and actively hallucinating, with lapses of attention, intermittent stupor, and generalized myoclonus precipitated by sensory stimulation and intentional movement. As the myoclonus improved, dysmetria of all extremities and