Gasoline inhalation injury

[Dan97]

I was exposed the lethal amounts of gasoline, diesel, and ethanol vapors at work 8 months ago. The gas meter that I was using only gave me a reading of N-Hexane and I was getting reading of 12,000 ppm. There are a lot of other chemicals in these products. I was exposed for a total of 6 hours off and on for a total of 12 hours. I have a lot of problems since then and the doctors do not know what is wrong with me. I have tremors in my right hand at rest and they get worse with or with out exertion. Sometimes I get them in my upper arm also. I get headaches all the time, which I did not before. I have problems with my concentration, focusing, processing, thinking and coordination. I get confused really bad now. My eyes go blurry sometimes. If I stand for about 15-20 minutes my legs get real shaky and I feel weak. I have muscle spasms in my neck, back, arms, legs and chest. I have had a cough since I was exposed. My balance is off. I wheeze all the time and have shortness of breath. I have rashes on my face and upper arms since the exposure. I get tingling, crawling, and numb feelings in my face, arms, legs, and head. I do not have any energy. I loose my voice if I talk very much. I have been sick the whole time. My whole body gets shaky when I exert myself sometimes. I also have problems with gasoline vapors, diesel vapors, ethanol vapors, bleach, pin-sol, scented candles, perfume, incense sticks, lysol and other household cleaners and gasoline and diesel exhaust. I never had a problem with this before. I was healthy before I was exposed. I did have an MRI and there was a white spot in the deep white matter, but they said that it was nothing. I would appreciate any help at all so I could give my doctor some Ideas. I'm having a real problem with workman's Comp. on this.
I have passed 2 methacholine challenges and a bunch of lung volume function tests. I do not have allergies. It's not my vocal cords. I was not wearing a respirator.

[Lama Chahine, MD]

Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with your doctor.

Without the ability to examine you and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of your symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

Exposure to specific chemicals can in general cause a variety of problems, including tremor, problems with thinking and concentration, and headache. However, it sounds like you have extensive amount of symptoms, and with the amount you have, some abnormality on MRI (besides the one you describe above) would be expected. In addition, improvement with time would also be expected (some permanent neurologic damage can occur, but stabilization and then improvement is common). Investigation for other causes of your tremor, fatigue, memory and concentration problems, and headaches is warranted. For example, thyroid problems, vitamin deficiencies, sleep problems (such as sleep apnea) and others. Your rash and respiratory issues are not neurologic, but if there was chemical damage to your lungs, it would be expected to be evident on CT scan of the chest, though this is not my area of expertise so I can not comment further.

Continued follow-up with your physicians is recommended.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.