Need Hospitals Recommendations For Chemical Posining

[surface]

My friend just called me and said she wants me to go have a look at her son as he has been sick all day. Last night he smelled something burning outside so he opened the front door to check it out. He got a whif of something then went back inside and felt a headache coming on, so he went upstairs to go to bed but stumbled a bit and started having loss of vision. He didn't tell her this until today as she called him several times from work to see how he was feeling and tried to find out what could have happened. When she left for work this morning, his didn't look well and his lips where a bit white. Not wanting to scare her, I said I'll go take a look at him with her, and that we should go to the hospital regardless just to be safe.

They do live across the street from a gas station, but I can't think of anything that could be "burning" or smell like it's burning coming from a gas station that could cause this.

Does anyone here know:

1. Is there a number to call in Bangkok/Thailand if somebody needs help with poisoning, such as Poison Control?
   
2. Do you know of any hospitals in Bangkok that would be better suited for something like this, such as one that has poison specialists? We are near Ratchada / Ladprao.
   
3. Any ideas on what could have caused this?
   

[Sheryl]

I don't know about any poison control numbers and in any case, if there was something out there that was so toxic that a brief whiff from a distance would have this effect, everyone else in the area should also be sick. Ask ask around the neighbors and see if anyone else had similiar symptoms just to be sure.

My guess -- and it's only a guess - is that the smell was either incidental or some type of aura and that he has had a neurological event of some type...maybe seizure, maybe a transient ischemic attack (TIA, or " mini-stroke" ) maybe somethinmg else. But it does sound neurological.

I would suggest going to Bangkok Hospital Neurology Dept and not delaying. It's on Petchburi sort of between Ratchada (asoke) and Thonglor. Ask for either Dr. Chanpong, Surat or Yotin, al have trained i nthe wet and are there pretty much daily.

Good luck & let us know how it turns out.

[bina]

migraine triggered by fumes from gas station is my guess; the loss of vision (and disorientation, ), nausea paleness; they all are symptoms of migraines that can be triggered by wierd things ... or a combination of things at one time that can trigger one...

so neurological seems so also... and the migraine doesnt neccessarily mean u feel terrible pain, or vomit, and some last for days... the very few and far between that i get are scent triggered and i lose vision in one eye, become pale (white!), lose feeling of connection with body parts, etc... no pain, and the migraine itself is short lived but the afteraffects are for about two days of tiredness and feeling 'wierd' (disoriented, not 'tuned in', muffled, wobbly... not sure how to describe it... )

UNLESS he is taking some kinds of medication that can cause synergic effect with the chemical that he may have smelled(sheryl i cant remember but this is from when i was a safety officer, there are certain meds that boost or change the effect of certain chemicals, causing bad reactions, including smelling (since there are ppm in the air that can affect someone super sensitized)...

speculation of course but i suspect that majority of docs wont think of this either its not an every day occurrence (neither is scent triggered migraines-- triggered of course by the ppm of whatever chemical it is that is the irritant - and or conditioned response to said chemical)

or like u said, epileptic type attack with the scent aura...

bina

[Beardog]

I would tend to agree with Sheryl & Bina on this one

When I was very young I worked for my Dad at a greyhound bus terminal. We used muriatic acid(I believe it to be a sulfuric acid based chemical-or sure smelled & tasted very acrid using it) That could cause most of the symptoms shot of your skin would burn & your eyes would not stop tearing trying to dispel the benign substance of the chemical.I also later on worked as a gas jockey & later an auto painter. If when burning the usual trash plastic rubber tires what have you they threw in a car battery that would also cause the same affects along with shortness of breath & other complications. If it was enamel reducer or laquer thinner it would cause all your symptoms- but I highly doubt the gas jockey is going to fork out 400+baht for paint thinner to paint his auto or motorbike parts as gasoline(as low as it is as a thinner on the quality poll) gas is the common used substance used even with a lot of the preferred auto body & paint shops.

And again the parts per million in the air on any of these substances would have to be billowing out or you hovering over the flame or cleaner or thinner,as even enamel reducer within 1/2 an hour to an hour will clear out of your system & you would return to normal shortly after. I have had plenty of exposer to thinner toxins& even with protection it will kick your butt.

anyone in the area if not Everyone would also be sick with similar ranging symptoms.

Have a doctor do a checkup. who knows could have been the heat....but certainly do not take a chance, better to know than to have a re occurrence! P.S. I hope you feel better soon!