Parenteral Hydrocarbon Injection and Associated Toxicities: Two Case Reports

INTRODUCTION Many cases of hydrocarbon toxicity occur annually due to oral or inhalational exposure. Rarely are hydrocarbons injected subcutaneously or intravenously. These parenteral routes of exposure, however, can have a wide range of consequences ranging from mild skin irritation to tissue necrosis, pulmonary injury, neurologic consequences, cardiovascular collapse, and death. WD-40TM is a commonly used household hydrocarbon containing aliphatic hydrocarbon (45 – 50%), low vapor pressure aliphatic hydrocarbon (12 – 18%), petroleum-based oil (<25%), carbon dioxide (2-3%), surfactant (<2%), and other “non-hazardous ingredients” (<10%).1 We present a pair of cases and associated visual images of complications from intravenous (IV) and subcutaneous (SC) WD-40 injection. Additionally, we will discuss complications from parenteral hydrocarbon exposures, in particular pulmonary injury and local tissue reactions as observed in our cases.