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Article in Japanese
Abstract
Case Report
A case of chemical pneumonitis caused by inhalation of chlorine dioxide
Daiki Naito* Hiroya Kawaguchi Go Nakayama Hirotaka Maruyama Hiromi Yamane Makoto Ando
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Kumamoto Rosai Hospital
*Present address: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Minamata City General Hospital and Medical Center
ABSTRACT
This case concerns a 20-year-old male. While working at a paper mill, the patient was exposed to chlorine dioxide solution when a pipe containing chlorine dioxide broke. He was then transported to hospital with respiratory distress and cough. At the time of admission, the patient had respiratory failure requiring 5 L/min of oxygen, and a chest computed tomography scan showed ground-glass opacities in all lung fields, so it was determined that the patient had chemical pneumonitis due to inhalation exposure to chlorine dioxide gas. The patient’s symptoms improved with steroid mini pulse therapy and inhalation of bronchodilators, and he was discharged home on the sixth day of hospitalization. There are few reports of chemical pneumonitis caused by chlorine dioxide, but as it is used more and more frequently in a variety of fields, such as sterilization and bleaching, it is necessary to be aware of this eventuality.
KEYWORDS
Chlorine dioxide Inhalation Chemical pneumonitis Reactive airways dysfunction syndrome
Received 24-Oct-24 ／ Accepted 20-Nov-24
AJRS, 14(2): 93-96, 2025
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