SUBMASSIVE HEPATIC-NECROSIS INDUCED BY DICHLOROPROPANOL

A hitherto undescribed industrial liver injury of fulminant form induc ed by dichloropropanol is reported. Two middle-aged men developed seve re hepatic injury just after cleaning a dichloropropanol tank at a pla nt producing dichloropropanol. They died from hepatic failure 4 and 11 days respectively, after carrying out the work. Liver specimens taken at autopsy from one of the cases showed submassive hepatic necrosis. This accident prompted us to undertake an experimental study in rats o f intraperitoneal one-shot injection of two isomeric substances of dic hloropropanol, that is, 2,3-dichloro-1-propanol (DC1P) and 1,3-dichlor o-2-propanol (DC2P). Saline was injected into the control rats. One, t wo, four, six, 24, 48, 72 h, and 1 week after the injection, rats in e ach group were sacrificed. Neither control nor DC1P-injected rats show ed significant biochemical or histopathological abnormalities. DC2P-in jected rats revealed elevations of transaminase from 6 h after the inj ections, and submassive necrosis of the liver was observed in many rat s. It was concluded that the severe liver injuries in both the human c ases and rats in our study were caused by DC2R