Toilet bowl cleaners and deodorizers

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Toilet bowl cleaners and deodorizers

Home Treatment:

Seek emergency medical care immediately. DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING. If on the skin or in the eyes, flush with lots of water for at least 15 minutes. If swallowed, drink water or milk IMMEDIATELY. If the patient is vomiting, keep giving water or milk. For inhalation poisoning, remove the patient to fresh air.

Before Calling Emergency:

Determine the following information:

The patient's age, weight, and condition
The name of the product (as well as the ingredients and strength, if known)
The time it was swallowed
The amount swallowed

Poison Control, or a local emergency number:

See Poison Control centers for telephone numbers and addresses. Take the container with you to the emergency room.

What to expect at the emergency room:

Some or all of the following procedures may be performed:

For swallowed poison
- Placement of a tube down the nose and into the stomach (a nasogastric tube, or an NG tube) to wash out the stomach
- Activated charcoal administration
- Endoscopy -- the placement of a camera down the throat to see the extent of burns to the esophagus and the stomach
- Give IV fluids
- Admission to the hospital
- Give an antidote
- Treat the symptoms
For inhaled poisons
- A breathing tube may need to be inserted
- Oxygen
- Admission to the hospital or to the intensive care unit
- Bronchoscopy (inserting a camera down the throat into the airway to evaluate the extent of burns to the airway and lungs)
For skin exposure
- Irrigation (washing of the skin), perhaps every few hours for several days
- Skin debridement (surgical removal of burned skin)
- Admission or transfer to a hospital that specializes in burn care

Expectations (prognosis):

The prognosis (probable outcome) will be dependent on how rapidly the substance was diluted. Extensive damage to the mouth, throat, and stomach are possible. The ultimate outcome will be dependent on the extent of this damage. Serious damage may occur, and death is possible.

Review Date: 4/16/2004
Reviewed By: Cherlin Johnson, M.D., Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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