A 15-year-old boy presents with a high fever, an intermittent non-productive cough, and dyspnea for one day, along with a generalized itchy rash for two days.
On close questioning, he reveals that he has been performing chemistry experiments for the last several days, on a sample of mercury he obtained from a broken thermometer.
He lives with his parents and younger brother, all of whom are currently in good health. His medical history is unremarkable with no history of allergies.
The chest X-ray shows bilateral non-homogenous basal opacities, with a few nonspecific nodular lesions.