METHYLENEDIANILINE (MDA), or 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane, has been used for more than 30 years in the plastics and rubber industry as an epoxy resin hardener. Its acute hepatotoxic properties following absorption via the oral and percutaneous routes have been well established.1-3 Acute myocardial involvement in addition to the expected hepatitis following intense MDA exposure has not been previously appreciated.
Report of a Case
A 20-year-old man was admitted to Buffalo (NY) Children's Hospital for chest and abdominal pain of five days' duration. He had been employed for two weeks at a chemical plant, where he handled large quantities of MDA. Six days prior to admission, a malfunction in the air filtering system had resulted in the spewing of MDA, in the form of a yellow dust, into the air. While the filter was being repaired, the patient had taken down the top of his protective full-sleeve coveralls and lunched, sweating in