ABSTRACT
Hair dyes containing para-phenylenediamine were used in some communities for criminal purposes and more frequently for attempted suicide and sometimes accidentally ingested. The aim of the present work to analyze the various aspects of poisoning fatalities as a result of stone hair dye [SHD] ingestion through a retrospective study of fatalities investigated by Assiut Chemical Laboratory of Medico-legal Department, Ministry of Justice in four governorates in Upper Egypt and to detect the systemic effects on experimental animals as a result of its ingestion and if there is dose-effect relationship. The records of acute poisoning cases of hair dye ingestion investigated by Assiut Medicolegal Laboratory in the period from January 2002 to December 2009 were examined as regarding type of poison, pattern, incidence, sex, geographical distribution and mode of poisoning. The studying of the systemic effects on ingestion of hair dye was conducted on 30 albino rats divided into five groups each contain 6 animals. The first group was the control and the other groups were subjected to oral administration of either stone hair dye or para-phenylenediamine [PPD] in two doses [10 and 20 mg each]. The animals were sacrificed after 24 hours and haematological, histopathological [liver and kidney] and biochemical examinations were performed. The results obtained from the records revealed that 72.29% of the cases were from Qena, 14.45% from Aswan, 12% from Sohag and 1.2% from Assiut. The highest incidence of poisoning was found in 2006 [19.3%] followed by 2008, 2009 [15.7%] each, then 2004 and 2005 [13.3%], 2007 [12%], 2002 [7.2%] and lastly 2003 [3.6%]. The majority of victim's were females and most of cases were suicides. There were insignificant changes in RBCs count in all groups and insignificant decrease of Hb concentration while WBCs count was very significantly increased. The levels of AST and ALT showed a significant increase in all treated groups while serum level of creatinine was insignificantly decreased. There was significant increase in the plasma enzymes AST, GPT, the liver tissues showed many degenerative changes in the form of vacuolated cytoplasm and irregular deeply stained nuclei of the hepatocytes with vascular congestion and lymphocytic infiltration. The same results were obtained with both SHD and PPD. They were more obvious with high doses of both. The results confirmed that Para-phenylenediamine is the main toxic ingredient in stone hair dye, and the experimental study revealed that the liver is the target organ of para-phenylenediamine and SHD toxicity, also that toxic manifestations were dose related. This compound is highly toxic when taken by mouth and the outcome depends mainly on the dose taken. The study recommends that the sale and use of PPD containing dyes, SHD and henna should be prohibited