This is the first reported case of human fatality associated with zinc intoxication following a
massive ingestion of coins. Four hundred and sixty-one coins were removed from the
gastrointestinal tract of a schizophrenic patient during the course of hospitalization. Many of
the post-1981 pennies, which consist primarily of zinc, showed severe corrosion due to their
prolonged contact with acidic gastric juice. The patient presented with clinical manifestations
consistent with the local corrosive as well as systemic effects of zinc intoxication and died 40 …