2 OUTBREAKS OF ACUTE TUNG NUT (ALEURITES-FORDII) POISONING

Objective: Aleurites fordii, widely distributed in the Southeastern US , Taiwan, mainland China, Japan and India, is commonly known as Tung N ut, Tung Oil Tree or Chinawood Oil Tree. The seeds are the most toxic part. Case Reports: We report two outbreaks of Aleurites fordii poison ing, occurring on November 27, 1992 and November 29, 1994. Thirty-five elementary school students and 29 senior high school students misiden tified Aleurites fordii seeds as chestnuts and ingested variable amoun ts. Methods: We conducted a survey by questionnaire to supplement the hospital record information. Simple descriptive statistics and Chi-squ are (Fisher's exact) tests were calculated. Results: The three most co mmon symptoms of the patients were vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrh ea. The more serious clinical presentations occurred in younger victim s. Our information suggests that food attenuates intestinal irritation perhaps by delaying absorption of the toxic principle. With symptomat ic treatment all of the symptoms and signs subsided within one to two days. Conclusions: Aleurites fordii can be cultivated and is easily ac cessible to the community and schools. Public education about the toxi city of Tung Nut seeds in areas of ready availability may reduce the c hance of misidentification and subsequent poisoning.