Lee Chi-chuan (
In the absence of medication to directly treat the effects of such intoxication, supportive treatment is the only way to help someone who has inhaled or ingested too much resin.
Lee made the comments in the wake of an incident in which three members of a family of four in Tungkang (
The family, along with a firefighter who lost consciousness during the rescue, were saved by hospital staff.
Chen Chuan-cheng (陳全成), the 55-year-old head of the family, had rented a fish and shrimp breeding farm with eight indoor breeding pools and had spent several days whitewashing the pools.
Chen's daughter Chen Su-ching (
Soon after he entered the pool, Chen lost consciousness and fell to the ground. As his son and daughter-in-law tried to rescue him, they too lost consciousness.
Chen's daughter then called for help, and three hours after being admitted to the hospital, the three had recovered but remained in hospital for observation.
Lee said that approximately 40 cases of toluene poisoning occur in Taiwan each year, mostly involving workers inhaling fumes while painting or whitewashing.
Most patients recover on their own, but getting to a hospital too late or inhaling too much toluene fumes can be fatal.
Lee said that anyone who is working with toluene or other chemical substances should wear protective glasses, gloves, face masks, rubber boots and protective clothing to avoid coming into physical contact with the substance.
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