2032 CHAPTER 158 Hydrocarbons

Human exposure to hydrocarbons (HCs) is a common problem. In 2010, U.S. poison centers reported 43,000 exposures to HCs, with the majority of cases managed in an outpatient setting. Exposure to HCs of patients who present to the emergency department (ED) can generally be classified into four types. The first is the accidental ingestion involving children younger than 5 years. This is the most common scenario causing fatality, and it usually involves significant pulmonary injury. Second is the intentional inhalational abuse of volatile HCs. Recreational abuse has been a medical problem since solvent inhalation became popular during the late 1800s. Fatalities in this group will typically occur within distinct demographic groups (Native Americans, homosexual men, and teenagers). Third is the accidental inhalational or dermal exposure to HCs in the household or workplace setting. The fourth type is massive oral ingestion of HCs in a suicide attempt.