Clinical Manifestations and Therapy of Acute Lead Intoxication Due to the Ingestion of Illicitly Distilled Alcohol

Article1 November 1963Clinical Manifestations and Therapy of Acute Lead Intoxication Due to the Ingestion of Illicitly Distilled AlcoholJAMES C. CRUTCHER, M.D.JAMES C. CRUTCHER, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-59-5-707 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptLead-contaminated whiskey produced in homemade stills with condensers fashioned from lead pipes and automobile radiators containing lead solder was the source of 32 episodes of lead intoxication in 27 adult male patients.* The purpose of this report is to describe the severe clinical manifestations, including encephalopathy, and the effective mobilization of large amounts of lead with the therapeutic use of calcium disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (Ca EDTA).METHODSAll of the patients were males hospitalized at the Veterans Administration Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia. All patients were seen in the Admission Clinic and were considered sufficiently ill to warrant immediate hospitalization, except...References1. 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KEHOE RA: Value of calcium disodium ethylenediamine-tetra-acetate and British antilewisite in therapy of lead poisoning. Fed. Proc. 20 (3), Part 2: 196, 1961. MedlineGoogle Scholar22. REUBERBRADLEY MDJE: Acute versenate nephrosis: occurring as the result of treatment for lead intoxication. JAMA 174: 263, 1960. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Atlanta, GeorgiaFrom the Medical Service, Veterans Administration Hospital and the Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.Requests for reprints should be addressed to James C. Crutcher, M.D., Medical Service, Veterans Administration Hospital, 4158 Peachtree Rd., N.E., Atlanta 19, Georgia.*Four of these patients, J. J., C. L., J. W., and H. N. were reported previously (1). 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