Citation

Smith JE. MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 1967; 16(40): 334.

Affiliation

Division of Health, Department of Health and Hospitals, City of St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Copyright

(Copyright © 1967, (in public domain), Publisher U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

From April to August 1967, nine cases of a clinically distinct illness characterized by fever and profuse sweating occurred in a small nursery for newborns in St. Louis, Missouri. Two of the cases were fatal. Early in the course of the outbreak the disease was felt to be an intoxication, but the nature of the poison and the mode of exposure of the patients remained obscure. Only after the ninth case developed was it discovered that an anti-mildew agent, containing a high concentration of sodium pentachlorophenate (the sodium salt of pentachlorophenol), was being used in the hospital laundry. All of the clinical. epidemiological, and biochemical evidence indicated that this outbreak resulted from pentachlorophenol poisoning. The only identified mode of exposure was skin absorption of sodium pentachlorophenate residues on diapers and other fabrics, resulting from the misuse of the anti-mildew agent in the final laundry rinse.