Self-injection of kerosene with chemical pneumonitis and abscess formation ‒ a case report and literature review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15584/ejcem.2025.4.14Keywords:
abscess, kerosene, pneumonitis, self-injectionAbstract
Introduction and aim. Kerosene, a widely available household fuel in Sri Lanka, is a common cause of accidental poisoning, especially in children, and is occasionally used for self-harm, which can cause complications such as chemical pneumonitis, abscesses, and thrombosis. Its unsafe storage practices increase the risk of accidental exposure.
Description of the case. A 16-year-old Sri Lankan male self-injected kerosene into the left cubital fossa. Although initially stable, he later developed chemical pneumonitis, left cephalic vein thrombosis, and a sterile abscess at the injection site.
Conclusion. Early multidisciplinary intervention and close clinical monitoring led to a favorable outcome. A review of the literature reveals that intravenous hydrocarbon injection, although rare, can lead to significant local and systemic toxicities.
Downloads
References
Lam NL, Smith KR, Gauthier A, Bates MN. Kerosene: A review of household uses and their hazards in low- and middle-income countries. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev. 2012;15(6):396. doi: 10.1080/10937404.2012.710134
Dayasiri MBKC, Jayamanne SF, Jayasinghe CY. Kerosene oil poisoning among children in rural Sri Lanka. Int J Pediatr. 2017;2017:1-7. doi: 10.1155/2017/8798610
Kumar S, Kavitha TK, Angurana SK. Kerosene, camphor, and naphthalene poisoning in children. Indian J Crit Care Med. 2019;23(4):278-281. doi: 10.5005/JP-JOURNALS-10071-23316
Hockberger RS, Rothstein RJ. Assessment of suicide potential by nonpsychiatrists using the SAD PERSONS score. J Emerg Med. 1988;6(2):99-107. doi: 10.1016/0736-4679(88)90147-3
Bubalo P, Nestic M, Martinovic S, Bakovic M, Mayer D, Mihic AG. Death by accidental intravenous administration of gasoline. Int J Legal Med. 2024;138(4):1315-1321. doi: 10.1007/s00414-024-03181-8
Arafat SMY. Suicide by intravenous kerosene: A case report in Bangladesh. Asian J Psychiatr. 2018;33:126-127. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2017.11.010
Case ME, Poklis A, Mackell MA. Homicide by intravenous injection of naphtha. J Forensic Sci. 1985;30(1):208-212.
Kósa F. Indictment in a case of fetal intravenous petrol injection. Morphol Igazsagugyi Orv Sz. 1981;21(1):69-72.
Rostami K, Farzaneh E, Abolhassani H. Bilateral deep peroneal nerve paralysis following kerosene self-injection into external hemorrhoids. Case Rep Med. 2010;2010:1-3. doi: 10.1155/2010/850394
Green DO. Intravenous Energine-A case report. Clin Toxicol. 1977;10(3):283-286. doi: 10.3109/15563657708992424
Bozzuto TM. Intravenous hydrocarbon abuse. Am J Emerg Med. 1987;5(3):262. doi: 10.1016/0735-6757(87)90344-5
Greenberg MD, Robinson T, Birrer R. Atrial fibrillation after intravenous administration of gasoline. Am Heart J. 1993;125(5 Pt 1):1438-1439. doi: 10.1016/0002-8703(93)91022-7
Buchman MT. Upper extremity injection of household insecticide: A report of five cases. J Hand Surg Am. 2000;25(4):764-767. doi: 10.1053/jhsu.2000.8643
Thaha MA, McKinnell TH, Graham KE, Naasan AN. Early intervention reduces morbidity in extravasation injuries from ‘lighter fuel’ injection. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2007;60(12):1342-1344. doi: 10.1016/j.bjps.2006.01.044
Amiri AH, Tarrahi MJ, Rafiei A. Clinical finding and outcome in suicidal attempt due to intravenous injection of kerosene. Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences. 2009;12(5):439-442. doi: 10.3923/pjbs.2009.439.442
Mahmoodpoor A, Soleimanpour H, Hamishehkar H. Multi organ failure following intravenous gasoline for suicide: a case report. Acta Med Iran. 2012;50(12):846-848.
Zirwes C, Ritz-Timme S, Hinsch N, Kardel B, Hartung B. Lethal intravenous injection of benzine. Arch Kriminol. 2015;236(3-4):96-102.
Farahvash MR, Yegane RA, Bashashati M, Ahmadi M, Tabrizi N. Surgical approach to hydrocarbon injection in upper extremities: Case series. Int J Surg. 2009;7(4):382-386. doi: 10.1016/j.ijsu.2009.06.009
Sharquie KE, Noaimi AA, Younis MS, Al-Sultani BS. Kerosene-induced panniculitis in Iraqi patients. Journal of Cosmetics, Dermatological Sciences and Applications. 2014;4(5):323-328. doi: 10.4236/jcdsa.2014.45042
Hazani R, Engineer N. Surreptitious injection of mineral oil. Ann Plast Surg. 2008;61(5):555-558. doi: 10.1097/SAP.0b013e31816d8316
Giammona ST. Effects of furniture polish on pulmonary surfactant. Am J Dis Child. 1967;113(6):658-663. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1967.02090210072005
Rush MD, Schoenfeld CN, Watson WA. Skin necrosis and venous thrombosis from subcutaneous injection of charcoal lighter fluid (naptha). Am J Emerg Med. 1998;16(5):508-511. doi: 10.1016/s0735-6757(98)90004-3
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 European Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Our open access policy is in accordance with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) definition: this means that articles have free availability on the public Internet, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from having access to the Internet itself.
All articles are published with free open access under the CC-BY Creative Commons attribution license (the current version is CC-BY, version 4.0). If you submit your paper for publication by the Eur J Clin Exp Med, you agree to have the CC-BY license applied to your work. Under this Open Access license, you, as the author, agree that anyone may download and read the paper for free. In addition, the article may be reused and quoted provided that the original published version is cited. This facilitates freedom in re-use and also ensures that Eur J Clin Exp Med content can be mined without barriers for the research needs.
