Secondary intoxication of emergency department personnel with a flammable and highly toxic gas: A lethal aluminum phosphide poisoning case

Abstract

Aluminum phosphide (AlP) is a relatively low cost and highly toxic pesticide. Besides being lethal to the patient poisoned by AlP, this substance may easily contaminate emergency medicine personnel through the release of toxic gases such as phosphine. Furthermore, these toxic gases are flammable and may explode during certain patient interventions, such as gastric lavage. We present a case of lethal poisoning of a patient caused by the intentional ingestion of AlP and secondary intoxication of emergency medicine personnel with the explosive phosphine gas.