Symptoms of Methyl Bromide Poisoning

Hours may pass before symptoms of MB poisoning appear. The victim may have no knowledge of exposure to the colorless and odorless 

TABLE 5-1 Occupations and other environments at risk for methyl bromide exposure 

Chemical workers Structural and soil fumigators Other 

TABLE 5-2. Signs and symptoms of methyl bromide poisoning 

Gastrointestinal Gastrointestinal complaints, weight loss, anorexia, jaundice, mild hepatotoxicity 

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The proposed mechanisms of toxicity include a direct cytotoxic effect of the intact methyl bromide molecule or toxicity due to one of its metabolites. The concentrations of arising bromide ion are insufficient to explain methyl bromide toxicity. However, in cases of methyl bromide poisoning, methyl bromide itself has been detected in human tissue on only one occasion (Marrac-cini et al. 1983). There is an inconsistency in the data as to whether there is a correlation between bromide levels and the symptoms of methyl bromide poisoning. In four lethal cases of people exposed to methyl bromide, Marraccini etal. (1983) found bromide ion concentrations in serum or plasma ranging from 40 to 583 mgL . Honma etal. (1985) concluded that the CNS toxicity seems to be due to the methyl bromide molecule itself or the methyl moiety incorporated into the tissue constituents and does not appear to be attributable to inorganic bromide or methyl alcohol. 

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