Asides our daily jobs, some of us do gardening, while some are basically farmers. Either gardeners or farmers, one thing we have in common is the use of pesticides. While they do great jobs, they can actually poison us in the course of our farm duty. I will be sharing with you a case of a person who I suspect is a farmer which I read on the Journal of International Medical Research in SAGE Journals.
This is the case of a 76-year-old man who presented to the hospital with chest pain and scrotal eczema. The pain was excruciating that it looked like his heart was beating from between his legs. He said that he had been immersing his scrotum into a medicine for for 5 consecutive days for 10 to 20 minutes, 3 to 4 times a day because of eczema of the perineal skin which he noticed, and the area has been developing wounds, sores, pain, swelling, and erosion which he believed was as a result of the effectiveness of the medicine.
The journal didn't mention what caused the eczema in his scrotum but it could be as a result of Skin Sensitivity, Allergens, Irritants, Heat and Sweat, Friction, Stress, Hygiene Practices with over washing of the region with harsh soap, and chemicals, or it could be genetic. But one thing was clear, the man didn't have it in the past and that was why he wanted to get rid of it. We also didn't know where he got the idea of the said medicine he was using because in actual fact, it wasn't medicine.
In actual fact, he was applying herbicide to his scrotum. There is a possibility that he believed that if herbicides could cause plant leaves to slough off and bring out new foliage, then it could be replicated on human body. Anyways, after his routine of 10 to 20 minutes of herbicide immersion for 5 days, his scrotal sac was on fire as he felt pain, sore as a result of erosion, and swelling.
This hospital wasn't the first he visited. The day before, he had went to a another local hospital, to complain which led to scrotal cleaning and rehydration to be performed. This didn't help the situation as he felt tightness in his chest the following day which was why he was at the next hospital that documented the case. According to the test performed on the patient, his heart rate and blood pressure were normal, his breathing a little tensed. With a confession of placing his scrotum in herbicide, a urine test for sodium bicarbonate and sodium bisulfite (DITHIONITE TEST)was requested, and the result came out with mild blue which indicated the present of paraquat.
This herbicide is sold under close monitoring because its misuse can be fatal. With paraquat, there is an affinity of one electron to be socked into itself and gives the electron to oxygen which then becomes superoxide radical thereby leading to stress of the plant, DNA damage and DNA death. With the urine test,it showed that paraquat is now present in the blood of the patient, and his kidneys are already filtering it as a result of systemic absorption from the topical application of the chemical.
Upon the request for a blood test, it was seen that his kidneys were already shutting down so to safe the patient, dexamethasone, pantoprazole, reduced glutathione, alanyl-glutamine), torasemide, and flucloxacillin, while kangfuxin solution an approved medication, and Kunmin were applied externally to the patient’s scrotal skin with the aim that it would deal with the current situation but it didn't.
The following day, the pain became worse and the patient experience scrotal bleeding. On day three, the patient presented with abdominal pain and swelling. At this point, another test was done, and this test showed that the man was going into multi organ failure. On the fourth day, the patient was feeling drowsy, and presented with shortness of breath. On the fifth day, after care and treatment, the patient needed endotracheal intubation and a ventilator but his family were refused and he died on the 6th day of Cardiac arrest.
This harrowing case looks at the dangers of pesticide misuse and the importance of proper handling and application. Resorting to unconventional or hazardous remedies without understanding the risks involved can lead to losing ones life. This said, it is imperative to prioritize safety and informed decision-making to prevent such tragic outcomes in our daily lives.
Post Reference
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/03000605221122745
https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajplung.2000.278.3.L417
https://toxandhound.com/toxhound/ff-di-paraquat/
https://www.jidonline.org/article/S0022-202X(15)47268-9/pdf
https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/epa-finalizes-new-stronger-safety-measures-pesticide-paraquat
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1081/CLT-100102470
https://academic.oup.com/qjmed/article/102/4/251/1550897?login=false
Image Reference
Image 1 || health.nzdf || Medical emergency
Image 2 || Flickr || Paraquat
Image 3 || Flickr || Eric Titcombe Blissed out on morphine
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