ABSTRACT
Sulfide poisoning usually occurs after exposure to hydrogen sulfide, carbon disulfide, one of the mercaptans, or a soluble salt of sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide, a highly dangerous gas that occurs naturally and is a by product of many industrial processes, and soluble salts of sulfides are potent poisons and have a toxicity com parable to that of cyanide (1,2). The common soluble salts and the sulfur acids all produce nearly identical toxic syndromes because sodium and other soluble sul fides are promptly and completely hydrolyzed in body fluids so that in terms of their systemic effects, no toxicological distinctions are recognized between them. In general, the route of administration is not a critical deter minant of the toxic effects (3).
