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Phenol Toxicity Following Cutaneous Exposure to Creolin®: A Case Report
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Phenol Toxicity Following Cutaneous Exposure to Creolin®: A Case Report

David Vearrier, Dorian Jacobs and Michael I Greenberg
Journal of medical toxicology, v 11(2), pp 227-231
Jun 2015
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13181-014-0440-1
PMID: 25326371
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13181-014-0440-1View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)Open Access (License Unspecified),  Open

Abstract

Administration, Topical Arrhythmias, Cardiac - chemically induced Burns, Chemical - pathology Child Coal Tar - administration & dosage Coal Tar - poisoning Depression - chemically induced Depression - psychology Disinfectants - administration & dosage Disinfectants - poisoning Electrocardiography Erythema - chemically induced Female Humans Intubation, Intratracheal Liver Function Tests Phenols - poisoning Skin - metabolism
Phenol is a caustic that may cause cutaneous or gastrointestinal burns depending on the route of exposure. Significant absorption may result in systemic toxicity. We present a case of topical phenol exposure resulting in cutaneous burns and systemic phenol toxicity. A 9-year-old girl was exposed to Creolin(®), a general-purpose disinfectant containing phenol, when her mother applied this product to her head and upper torso. The patient required endotracheal intubation due to depressed mental status; she had cutaneous erythema in the distribution of contact with the cleanser. An initial EKG revealed sinus tachycardia with brief runs of monomorphic ventricular tachycardia. On hospital day (HD) 1, the area of erythema extended to both upper extremities and hyperpigmentation developed over the affected areas, which continued to darken during the hospital course. The patient was extubated late on HD 1. On HD 2, the patient's urine was noted to be a dark green color that resolved later that day. On HD 3, areas of desquamation and decreased sensation developed in skin areas of maximal contact with the cleanser. The patient developed a mild transaminitis with peak AST and ALT levels of 84 units/l and 99 units/l, respectively. The patient was discharged to home on HD 4. Our patient presented with signs of cutaneous and systemic phenol toxicity characterized by dermal burns, depressed mental status, cardiac dysrhythmias, and elevated hepatic transaminases. Phenol exposure may cause systemic toxicity following limited dermal exposure.

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9 citations in Scopus

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Web of Science research areas
Toxicology
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