Thesaurosis Due to Inhalation of Hair Spray

Abstract

IN 1958, 2 cases of thesaurosis, or storage disease, that followed inhalation of hair spray and presumably caused by its content of macromolecular resins were reported.¹ The well known physiologic and pathologic changes resulting from the parenteral introduction of macromolecular substances such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), a common ingredient of hair spray, were summarized in that report and therefore need not be reviewed again. However, it should be pointed out that in general macromolecules resulting from the polymerization of vinyl compounds and similar substances cannot be metabolized in the body. Although the smaller molecules that occur in these polymerization mixtures can . . .