Acute Chlordane Intoxication in a Child

Abstract

Chlordane ingestion by an 11 kg (24 lb) 4-year-old girl resulted in intermittent clonic convulsions, coordination loss, and increased excitability. There was no spontaneous vomiting of the ingested chemical. The use of gastric lavage and parenteral phenobarbetal was followed by disappearance of these neurological signs and restoration of health. There were no residual manifestations of chlordane intoxication, nor was there any electroencephalogram abnormality observed 24 hours after the acute illness. Initially, urine concentrations of chlordane were high, but fell rapidly to 0.05 ppm on the third day, although a sample of urine obtained on the 40th postingestion day revealed a rise to 0.13 ppm. Serum half-life of chlordane in this patient was found to be approximately 88 days, in contrast to an earlier report of 21 days.