A man’s urine turned fluorescent after being poisoned with antifreeze, a case report suggested in June 2017.
The unnamed man, 48, believed to be from Texas, is thought to have accidentally ingested a coolant that caused his urine to glow blue-green.
After appearing at hospital vomiting and complaining of abdominal pain, tests revealed his blood pressure was dangerously low.
He was later diagnosed with poisoning via ethylene glycol – the active ingredient in active freeze that contains fluorescent compounds.
After spending four days in hospital, he made a full recovery.
The authors wrote in BMJ Case Report: ‘A man with diabetes mellitus and alcohol abuse presented to the emergency room with altered mental status, vomiting and abdominal pain. On examination, he was confused and uncooperative’.
Test results suggested he had an abnormally low blood pressure and was breathing excessively fast.
Urine samples and mouth examinations confirmed he was suffering from ethylene glycol poisoning – a sign of antifreeze ingestion.
Ethylene glycol poisoning typically causes the body to produce excessive amounts of acid or slows the rate the kidneys remove acid.