Yellow phosphorus is one of the most commonly used rodenticides in India for household pest control. It is available as pastes containing 2% to 5% of yellow phosphorus. Yellow phosphorous-containing rodenticides are easily available and account for one of the most common causes of suicidal poisoning in India. We describe a case of yellow phosphorus poisoning in a 17-years-old child who recovered from hepatic encephalopathy and showed unique peripheral smear findings in the form of spurious monocytosis and hypergranulosis of these granulocytes.
Keywords: granulocyte; poisoning; rodenticide; yellow phosphorus.