Daily about 100 children are Hospitalized in Mumbai alone with kerosene poisoning. About 1 lakh women & children die of Burns due to kerosene stoves in India annually. To avoid this let us teach safe use of Kerosene to every one.

Kerosene / Petrol cause chemical Pneumonia on aspiration.

It has low viscosity. It spreads over large areas of lining of Lungs. It destroys surfactant & causes alveolar collapse, ventilation perfusion. mismatch & Hypoxia. It directly damages capillaries. Kerosene is not absorbed thorough G.I. tract. Pneumonia does not occur on inhalation of fumes.

Signs & Symptoms.

Irritation of mout, throat & stomach causes coughing, choking, vomiting. The Breath smells of kerosene. Respiratory difficulty with breathlessness, indrawning of chest bronchospasm wheezing & crepts appear. If there is no breathlessness there is no toxicity. Severe breathlessness is a bad sign. Hypoxia can cause brain & other multiple organ failure & death. Fever comes in 6 hrs. due to tissue damage. Antibiotics & Steroids are not needed to mild & moderately toxic patients. Lung damage is highest 3 days after ingestion.. Management : take X-ray after 6 hrs. X-ray s/o diffuse chemical Pneumonia. Discharge : asymptomatic patients with normal X-ray. If X-ray is abnormal but patient is Asymptomatic case for follow up. Admit if good follow up is doubtful. Admit symptomatic patients for observation & supportive care prophylactic antibiotics steroids are not recommended. Do X- ray, Sa O2, ABG if possible ABG shows hypoxemia, hypercartia & respiratory acidosis.Write a letter to Shri Ram Naik Petroliam Minister, New Delhi. Ask him to educate the people on safe care of kerosene.

Ref : Pediatrics in Review in Pediatrics Jan. 2002.