Sulfuric acid poisoning

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Sulfuric acid poisoning

Alternative Names:

Battery acid; Hydrogen sulfate; Oil of vitriol; Matting acid; Vitriol brown oil

Home Treatment:

DO NOT make a person throw up. Seek immediate medical help.

If the chemical is on the skin or in the eyes, flush with lots of water for at least 15 minutes.

If the chemical was swallowed, immediately give the person water or milk. DO NOT give water or milk if the patient is vomiting or has a decreased level of alertness.

If the person breathed in the poison, immediately move him or her to fresh air.

Before Calling Emergency:

Determine the following information:

Patient's age, weight, and condition
Name of the product (as well as the ingredients and strength if known)
Time it was swallowed
Amount swallowed
Call 911, Poison Control, or the local emergency number:

Take the container with you to the emergency room.

Poison Control, or a local emergency number:

The National Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222) can be called from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.

This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the U.S. use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What to expect at the emergency room:

The patient may receive:

IV fluids
Milk of magnesia
Medications and therapies to treat the symptoms
Antibiotics
Surgery to repair any tissue damage
Breathing tube

Expectations (prognosis):

How well a patient does depends on how fast the poison is diluted and neutralized. Extensive damage to the mouth, throat, eyes, lungs, esophagus, nose, and stomach are possible. The ultimate outcome depends on the extent of this damage.

Swallowing the poison can cause death.

Review Date: 3/2/2006
Reviewed By: Janeen R. Azare, PhD, MSPH, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-KetteringCancer Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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