To act immediately: what to do if an adult or a child drank household chemicals
'25.08.2022'
Source: AiF.ru
Acid and alkaline fluids can cause chemical burns to the larynx, esophagus and stomach, as well as swelling of the respiratory tract.
AIF found out from the head of the department of toxicology and extreme medicine of the North-Western State Medical University named after II Mechnikov Viktor Shilov, what should be done in the first place if a person has drunk any chemical agent by mistake, and what measures can be taken before the doctor arrives.
What if a person swallows a corrosive non-food liquid?
Ingestion of caustic and alkaline fluids into the human body, such as bleaching agents, cleaning products, cleaning sewer pipes, etc., can cause severe burns to internal organs. If you accidentally swallow them, you should immediately call an ambulance. You may rinse your mouth and throat before the doctor arrives. You can not take any medications or try to induce vomiting, as the passage of vomit through the esophagus may cause even more burns.
“There is no need to artificially induce vomiting. The surface of the larynx is already burned, it is not worth re-acting on it in this way. The first step is to reduce the concentration and dilute the liquid with water. You can drink water or wash out the stomach. Neutralizing exposure to a chemical will get you nowhere. This can only cause a chemical reaction, as a result of which additional chemical compounds that can harm a person will be released, says Shilov. - Therefore, only rinsing with water or the use of a dropper in order to dilute this liquid. This is the only option if alkali or acid gets inside. "
How to extract accidentally drunk vinegar (acetic or citric acid) from the body?
In case of poisoning with food vinegar, citric or tartaric acids, the mucous membrane also burns. It all depends on the amount of liquid that got inside and the concentration of the acid itself. If you accidentally drink 1-2 sips of 6-9% vinegar, then poisoning is usually limited to a mild superficial burn of the esophagus and can pass without serious consequences. If 50-200 grams of vinegar got inside, then more serious consequences are possible, including kidney and liver failure. Even more dangerous to health is vinegar essence, which has a very high concentration, up to 70%.
The first thing to do is to immediately rinse your mouth and throat with water. Then - drink a few glasses of cool water and call an ambulance.
In no case should you drink soda solution or induce vomiting. “If you begin to neutralize acid with alkali, the result will be gas and a rise in temperature. Only water can reduce the impact of the chemical,” explains Shilov.
How can I help a child who has swallowed liquid soap, dishwashing detergent, or bubble liquid?
Judging by how often these issues are discussed in the parent forums, such situations are not uncommon. If a child drank a soap solution or a detergent, then it is imperative to call an ambulance, because the consequences can be different - from mild poisoning and burns of the oral mucosa to a severe allergic reaction. Different consequences are due to the composition of the liquid and its concentration, and much also depends on the age and health of the victim. Before the arrival of doctors, it is necessary to rinse the child's mouth with clean water and provide him with plenty of fluids.
Especially dangerous are detergents and cleaning products with alkali content. They corrode the mucous membrane of the mouth, esophagus and stomach, cause serious burns and intoxication. Alkaline burns are much harder to treat than acidic ones.
And if the baby drank furacilin, brilliant green or iodine?
The consequences will depend on the concentration of these solutions. With a low concentration of iodine, there will be no serious harm to health, and a highly concentrated solution can cause severe chemical burns of mucous membranes. If a child accidentally drank iodine in the form of an undiluted alcohol solution, then you should immediately call the emergency medical service, and before her arrival, provide him with 3-4 times a day of warm water, 1 glass each.
Zelenka is a rather toxic substance and, if ingested, can also cause extremely undesirable consequences. If a child accidentally drank a bottle of a 2% aqueous-alcoholic brilliant green solution, he could get a burn reaction and alcohol poisoning. Parents need to immediately call an ambulance, and before the doctors arrive, rinse the stomach with plenty of warm water again.
If the child drinks an aqueous solution of furacilin, then nothing terrible will happen. Although this drug is prescribed exclusively for external use, there will be no serious consequences from one tablet dissolved in a glass of water. If there were more tablets, it is necessary to call a doctor, and before his arrival, rinse the stomach - give water to drink.
What measures should be taken if a person drank a baking soda solution?
Some doctors recommend gargling with a soda solution for a bacterial infection. But in order not to harm the integument of the mucosa, certain proportions must be observed. According to Shilov, if the soda solution is, as it should be for rinsing, weakly concentrated, then nothing bad will happen when you mistakenly drink it, for example, instead of ordinary water. But if the soda solution is sufficiently concentrated, poisoning is possible. In this case, you can help a person in the same way as when other substances get in - by washing with water. And, of course, you need to call a doctor.
