What Researchers Did
Doctors described a family poisoned by carbon monoxide released when formic acid was mixed with sulfuric acid.
What They Found
This case report details a suicide by a 26-year-old man who mixed 2.5 L of formic acid with 2.5 L of sulfuric acid in a closed room, and the carbon monoxide poisoning of his parents who tried to help him. The man's 53-year-old father performed CPR on his son, then lost consciousness himself; the father developed coma, low blood oxygen, metabolic acidosis, and a carboxyhemoglobin level of 45.8 percent, was treated with hyperbaric oxygen, but still developed acute respiratory distress syndrome on day four and was weaned from the ventilator on day 8. The man's 53-year-old mother felt dizziness and headache with a carboxyhemoglobin level of 23.0 percent, and her symptoms improved with standard oxygen therapy. The 26-year-old man died.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
This is a single case report describing three related patients, so its findings cannot be generalized to other cases of carbon monoxide poisoning from formic acid.