Causes and Risks:

• oxalic acid
• sodium nitrate
• kerosene

Where Found:

• various anti-rust products

Symptoms: for oxalic acid:

• body as a whole
  • pain in the mouth
  • tremors
  • convulsions
  • collapse
  • shock
  • blood in urine
  • pain when urinating
• eyes, ears, nose, and throat
  • pain in the throat
• gastrointestinal
  • pain in the stomach
  • vomiting
• heart and blood vessels
  • weak pulse
  • low blood pressure

• body as a whole
  • collapse
  • convulsions
  • shock
  • respiratory:
  • difficulty breathing
  • stop breathing
• skin
  • red color to skin
  • bluish color to lips and fingernails
• gastrointestinal
  • nausea and/or vomiting
• heart and blood vessels
  • major drop in blood pressure
• nervous system
  • headache
  • coma
  • dizziness

• from inhalation
  • body as a whole
    • burning in the chest
    • weakness
    • convulsions
    • pains in the arms and/or legs
    • numbness in the arms and/or legs
    • burning sensation in the arms and/or legs
  • respiratory
    • shortness of breath
    • rapid breathing
  • gastrointestinal
    • nausea and/or vomiting
    • weight loss
  • heart and blood vessels
    • rapid heartbeat
  • nervous system
    • depression
    • headache
    • euphoria (exaggerated feeling of well-being)
    • confusion
    • unconsciousness
• from swallowing
  • body as a whole
    • convulsions
  • eyes, ears, nose, and throat
    • burning in the throat
  • respiratory
    • slow and shallow breathing
  • gastrointestinal
    • burning in the stomach
    • nausea and/or vomiting
    • diarrhea
  • heart and blood vessels
    • rapid heartbeat
  • nervous system
    • unconsciousness

Home Treatment: For oxalic acid: DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING.
Give milk IMMEDIATELY.

For sodium nitrite: DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING.

For kerosene: DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING.

The patient will usually vomit on his or her own. If large amounts are swallowed, the patient may lose consciousness. Never induce vomiting in a semiconscious or unconscious patient, because of the danger of their inhaling vomit.

Before Calling Emergency: Determine the following information:

• the patient’s age, weight, and condition
• the name of the product (ingredients and strengths if known)
• the time it was swallowed
• the amount swallowed

Call Poison Control: They will instruct you if it is necessary to take the patient to the hospital. See Poison Control centers for telephone numbers and addresses. Take the container with you to the emergency room.

What To Expect: Some or all of the following procedures may be performed.

For oxalic acid:

• Treat the symptoms.

• Establish an airway.
• Induce emesis.
• Administer activated charcoal.
• Administer a laxative.
• Give an antidote (possibly).
• Use gastric lavage.
• Treat the symptoms.

• Treat the symptoms

For oxalic acid: Recovery is likely if an antidote can be given shortly after the acid is swallowed. Death can occur rapidly.

For sodium nitrite: As long as the blood pressure can be maintained, recovery will probably occur.

For kerosene:
If no symptoms within 6 hours, recovery will occur.