Oven cleaners
Definition
This is poisoning from swallowing or breathing in an oven cleaner.
Poisonous Ingredient
Where Found
Symptoms
- Lungs and airways
- Breathing difficulty (from inhalation)
- Throat swelling (may also cause breathing difficulty)
- Eyes, ears, nose, and throat
- Severe pain in the throat
- Severe pain or burning in the nose, eyes, ears, lips, or tongue
- Loss of vision
- Gastrointestinal
- Severe abdominal pain
- Vomiting
- Burns and possible holes of the esophagus (food pipe)
- Vomiting blood
- Blood in the stool
- Heart and blood
- Hypotension (low blood pressure) develops rapidly
- Collapse
- Skin
- Irritation
- Burns
- Necrosis (holes) in the skin or underlying tissues
- Blood
- Severe change in pH (too much or too little acid in the blood, which leads to damage in all of the body organs)
Home Care
Seek immediate medical help. DO NOT make a person throw up unless told to do so by Poison Control or a health care professional.
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, unless instructed otherwise by a health care provider.
If the person breathed in the poison, immediately move him or her to fresh air.
Before Calling Emergency
Determine the following information:
- The patient's age, weight, and condition
- Name of product (as well as the ingredients and strength, if known)
- The time it was swallowed
- The amount swallowed
Poison Control
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.
Take the container with you to the hospital, if possible.
See National Poison Control center.
What to Expect at the Emergency Room
The health care provider will measure and monitor the patient's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure. The patient may receive:
- Fluids by IV
- Medicines to treat symptoms and pain
- Endoscopy -- camera down the throat to see burns in the esophagus and the stomach
- Oxygen
- Breathing tube
- Bronchoscopy -- camera down the throat to see burns in the airways and lungs
- Irrigation (washing of the skin) -- perhaps every few hours for several days
- Skin debridment (surgical removal of burned skin)
Outlook (Prognosis)
How well a patient does depends on the amount of poison swallowed and how quickly treatment was received. The faster a patient gets medical help, the better the chance for recovery.
Swallowing such poisons can have severe effects on many parts of the body. Oven cleaners can cause severe burns inside the entire gastrointestinal tract. The ultimate outcome depends on the extent of this damage.
Review Date:
5/30/2006
Reviewed By:
Eric Perez, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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