ABSTRACT
The ill effects of accidental inhalation of gasoline fumes in occupational settings have been documented since the late 19th century. Early reports described the inhalation of gasoline fumes as producing a spectrum of symptoms and effects depending upon the concentration of fumes and the duration of sniffing. The diagnosis of organolead poisoning associated with the gasoline-sniffing syndrome rests upon the clinical examination, changes in the electroencephalogram, slowed nerve conduction velocities, and demonstration of the biological effects of lead on testing the blood and urine. The possible long-term effects of chronic inhalation of gasoline have been variously reported as anorexia, weight loss, weakness, cramps, and neuraesthenia. Lead intoxication from gasoline should not be regarded as an anachronism peculiar to minority groups in North America but rather as part of a larger spectrum of lead contamination in the world environment that has caused much concern recently among public health activists in the US and Europe.
