CASE REPORT article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Predictive Toxicology
Occupational 4-Methylsulfonyl-Benzonitrile Poisoning: A Case Report
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Poisoning and Occupational Diseases, Emergency Medicine, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- 2Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- 3Department of Nursing, Department of gerontology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Background: 4-Methylsulfonyl-benzonitrile is an organic compound used in organic synthesis with applications in medicine, dye, and pesticide production. However, its toxicological characteristics in humans remain poorly understood, with no previously reported cases of poisoning. Case Presentation: This report describes a 33-year-old male who developed severe toxic encephalopathy and peripheral neuropathy following occupational exposure during herbicide production. The patient worked without adequate personal protective equipment in a workshop where he was intermittently exposed to organic solvents, including 4-methylsulfonyl-benzonitrile, over several months. He initially presented with dizziness, slurred speech, and mental deterioration, which progressed to impaired consciousness and respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation. Blood analysis revealed an initial 4-methylsulfonyl-benzonitrile concentration of 734 ng/mL upon initial testing, decreasing to 76 ng/mL, and becoming undetectable within ten days. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed diffuse symmetric abnormalities in the corpus callosum, bilateral basal ganglia, corona radiata, and centrum semiovale. Electromyography confirmed sensorimotor peripheral neuropathy. Intervention and Outcome: The patient received comprehensive treatment including mechanical ventilation, organ protection, neurotrophic therapy, anti-infective therapy, and nutritional support. After 28 days of hospitalization, he was discharged with significant improvement— conscious, oriented, and with normalized speech, although mild numbness in the limbs persisted. Conclusion: This case demonstrates that 4-methylsulfonyl-benzonitrile poisoning can induce both toxic encephalopathy and peripheral neuropathy. The findings highlight an urgent need to strengthen safety monitoring and safety training in chemical manufacturing enterprises.
Keywords: 4-Methylsulfonyl-Benzonitrile 1, Organic compound 2, Toxic encephalopathy 3, Toxic peripheral neuropathy 4, Occupational exposure 5
Received: 23 Apr 2025; Accepted: 14 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Shan, 刘, Zheng, Jian and Kan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Xiang Dong Jian, jianxiangdongvip@vip.163.com
Baotian Kan, kanbaotian@163.com
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.