Suicide after inhaling a pyrethrins containing insecticide spray

Nontransient third-degree heart block and persistent respiratory findings as sequelae of acute occupational exposure to pyrethroids insecticide

We present the case of a worker with occupational exposure to a pyrethroid insecticide who acutely developed nontransient third-degree heart block. In 2000, a 57-year-old male truck driver on his delivery route was accidentally exposed to pyrethroid insecticide being sprayed for West Nile virus containment. Both the driver and his vehicle were coated with the spray. The exposure was prolonged because he did not change his clothes until after his shift ended and he used the same contaminated truck for a week. Within days, he presented with a third-degree heart block, for which he was emergently treated, and a pacemaker was placed. He had no past history of arrhythmias. In the weeks thereafter, he also developed reactive airway dysfunction syndrome (RADS). In the second decade following the exposure, the patient replaced his pacemaker, confirming the permanent nature of his heart block. In addition to the persistence of his exposure-related RADS, he developed restrictive lung disease and was diagnosed with pulmonary interstitial fibrosis in the absence of established risk factors. The patient died in October 2019 from respiratory illness. Most previous reports of pyrethroid-related disorders are limited to acute exposures, in which transient symptoms predominate. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an exposed worker experiencing permanent third-degree heart block, as well as persistent respiratory findings, as possible short- and long-term sequelae of pyrethroid exposure.