Bronchiolitis from nitrous fumes.

The inhalation of noxious fumes causes damage to the air passages and alveolar walls. The response covers a wide range, depending upon the nature of the gas, its concentration in the lungs, and the duration of exposure. Certain irritant gases, notably chlorine and ammonia, have an immediate effect on the upper respiratory tract, with intense burning in the throat, choking, and attacks of laryngeal spasm. Other gases which include nitrous fumes exert a less violent reaction at first but are commonly followed by an acute pulmonary oedema and bronchiolitis. This may be due to the fact that their relative insolubility in water allows deeper penetration of the bronchial tree. The purpose of this paper is to describe two cases of acute bronchiolitis, following the inhalation of nitrous fumes, that were observed in Sheffield in 1956. One patient died.