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August 26, 1974, Vol 229, No. 9 >
ARTICLE | August 26, 1974

The First Death From Nitrogen Dioxide Fumes: Title and subTitle BreakThe Story of a Man and His Dog FREE

José Ramírez-R, MD
[+] Author Affiliations

Reprint requests to Department of Medicine, Mayaguez Medical Center, Mayaguez, PR 00708 (Dr. Ramírez-R).


JAMA. 1974;229(9):1181-1182. doi:10.1001/jama.1974.03230470023017
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References

THE importance of nitrous fumes as a cause of pulmonary tissue damage gained universal recognition with the demonstration that these were the mysterious toxic gases evolved in silos during the first week after ensilage.1,2

Two types of pulmonary chemical injuries have been described: (1) pulmonary edema may occur within 24 hours of a prolonged or concentrated exposure; (2) a more subtle bronchiolar injury may cause life-threatening bronchiolar obstruction during the repair phase, one to four weeks after a brief encounter with the toxic gases.3

There are simple and accurate descriptions of man's experience with the fumes of nitric acid, but there is none more vivid than the first recording 175 years ago.

To give this classical description wider reading and its due historical prominence, an edited translation of the story of a man and his dog is presented here.4 The clinical events are discussed in terms of

REFERENCES

1 +
Lowry T, Schulman LM:  Silo-filler's disease: A syndrome caused by nitrogen dioxide . JAMA 162:153-160, 1956;.
2 +
Grayson RR:  Silage gas poisoning: Nitrogen dioxide pneumonia, a new disease in agriculture workers . Ann Intern Med 45:393-408, 1956;.
3 +
Ramírez-R J, Dowell AR:  Silo-filler's disease: Nitrogen dioxide-induced lung injury: Long-term follow up and review of the literature . Ann Intern Med 74:569-576, 1971;.
4 +
Desgranges JB:  Sur une morte prompte occasionné par le gaz nitreux . J Med Chir Pharm 8:487-505, 1804;.
5 +
Dowell AR, Kilburn KH, Pratt PC:  Short-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide: Effects on pulmonary ultrastructure, compliance and the surfactant system . Arch Intern Med 128:74-80, 1971;.
6 +
Buckley RD, Balchum OJ:  Acute and chronic exposures to nitrogen dioxide effects on oxygen consumption and enzyme activity on guinea pig tissues . Arch Environ Health 10:220-223, 1965;.
7 +
Fishman AP:  Pulmonary edema: The water-exchanging function of the lung . Circulation 46:390-408, 1972;.
8 +
Scott EG, Hunt WB:  Silo-filler's disease . Chest 63:701-706, 1973;.
9 +
Regner K-G, Swenson A:  The late prognosis of nitrous fume poisoning . Acta Med Scand 170:291-299, 1961;.
10 +
Roehm JN, Hadley JG, Menzel DB:  Antioxidants vs lung disease . Arch Intern Med 128:88-93, 1971;.

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Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature

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1 +
Lowry T, Schulman LM:  Silo-filler's disease: A syndrome caused by nitrogen dioxide . JAMA 162:153-160, 1956;.
2 +
Grayson RR:  Silage gas poisoning: Nitrogen dioxide pneumonia, a new disease in agriculture workers . Ann Intern Med 45:393-408, 1956;.
3 +
Ramírez-R J, Dowell AR:  Silo-filler's disease: Nitrogen dioxide-induced lung injury: Long-term follow up and review of the literature . Ann Intern Med 74:569-576, 1971;.
4 +
Desgranges JB:  Sur une morte prompte occasionné par le gaz nitreux . J Med Chir Pharm 8:487-505, 1804;.
5 +
Dowell AR, Kilburn KH, Pratt PC:  Short-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide: Effects on pulmonary ultrastructure, compliance and the surfactant system . Arch Intern Med 128:74-80, 1971;.
6 +
Buckley RD, Balchum OJ:  Acute and chronic exposures to nitrogen dioxide effects on oxygen consumption and enzyme activity on guinea pig tissues . Arch Environ Health 10:220-223, 1965;.
7 +
Fishman AP:  Pulmonary edema: The water-exchanging function of the lung . Circulation 46:390-408, 1972;.
8 +
Scott EG, Hunt WB:  Silo-filler's disease . Chest 63:701-706, 1973;.
9 +
Regner K-G, Swenson A:  The late prognosis of nitrous fume poisoning . Acta Med Scand 170:291-299, 1961;.
10 +
Roehm JN, Hadley JG, Menzel DB:  Antioxidants vs lung disease . Arch Intern Med 128:88-93, 1971;.

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