Anti-rust product poisoning

Anti-rust product poisoning occurs when someone breathes in or swallows anti-rust products. These products may be accidentally breathed in (inhaled) if they are used in a small, poorly ventilated area, such as a garage.

This article is for information only. Do NOT use it to treat or manage an actual poison exposure. If you or someone you are with has an exposure, call your local emergency number (such as 911), or your local poison center can be reached directly by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States.

Poisonous Ingredient

Anti-rust agents contain different poisonous substances, including:

• Chelating agents
• Hydrocarbons
• Hydrochloric acid
• Nitrites
• Oxalic acid
• Phosphoric acid

Where Found

Various anti-rust products

Symptoms

Anti-rust product poisoning can cause symptoms in many parts of the body.

EYES, EARS, NOSE, AND THROAT

• Loss of vision
• Severe pain in the throat
• Severe pain or burning in the nose, eyes, ears, lips, or tongue

GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEM

• Blood in the stool

  Blood in the stool

  Bloody stools often are a sign of a problem in the digestive tract. Blood in the stool may come from anywhere along your digestive tract from your m...

   

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• Burns of the throat (esophagus)
• Severe abdominal pain

  Abdominal pain

  Abdominal pain is pain that you feel anywhere between your chest and groin. This is often referred to as the stomach region or belly.

   

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• Vomiting
• Vomiting blood

  Vomiting blood

  Vomiting blood is regurgitating (throwing up) contents of the stomach that contains blood. Vomited blood may appear either a bright red or dark red c...

   

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HEART AND BLOOD

• Collapse
• Low blood pressure

  Low blood pressure

  Low blood pressure occurs when blood pressure is much lower than normal. This means the heart, brain, and other parts of the body do not get enough ...

   

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• Methemoglobinemia (very dark blood from abnormal red blood cells)

  Methemoglobinemia

  Methemoglobinemia (MetHb) is a blood disorder in which an abnormal amount of methemoglobin is produced. Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells...

   

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• Too much or too little acid in the blood, which leads to damage in all of the body organs

KIDNEYS

• Kidney failure

  Kidney failure

  Acute kidney failure is the rapid (less than 2 days) loss of your kidneys' ability to remove waste and help balance fluids and electrolytes in your b...

   

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Many of the most dangerous effects of poisoning from anti-rust products come from inhaling the substance.

LUNGS AND AIRWAYS

• Breathing difficulty
• Throat swelling (may also cause breathing difficulty)
• Asphyxia
• Chemical pneumonitis
• Secondary bacterial or viral infection
• Hemorrhagic pulmonary edema
• Respiratory distress or failure
• Pneumothorax
• Pleural effusion
• Empyema

NERVOUS SYSTEM

• Agitation
• Coma
• Confusion
• Dizziness
• Incoordination
• Somnolence
• Headache
• Blurred vision
• Weakness
• Brain damage from low oxygen level

SKIN

• Burns
• Irritation
• Holes (necrosis) in the skin or tissues underneath

Home Care

Seek medical help right away. Do NOT make a person throw up unless told to do so by the poison center or a health care professional.

If the chemical was swallowed, immediately give the person water or milk, unless instructed otherwise by a health care provider. Do NOT give water or milk if the patient is having symptoms (such as vomiting, convulsions, or a decreased level of alertness) that make it hard to swallow.

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

Before Calling Emergency

Get the following information:

• Patient's age, weight, and condition
• Name of the product (ingredients and strengths, if known)
• Time it was swallowed
• Amount swallowed

Poison Control

Your local poison center can be reached directly by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) 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 United States 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 health care provider will measure and monitor your vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure. Symptoms will be treated as appropriate. You may receive:

• Breathing support, including a tube through the mouth and into the lungs, connected to a breathing machine (ventilator)
• Bronchoscopy: a small camera down the throat to see burns in the airways and lungs
• Chest x-ray
• EKG (heart tracing)
• Endoscopy: a small camera down the throat to see burns in the esophagus and the stomach
• Fluids through the vein (by IV)
• Methylene blue, a medicine to reverse the effect of the poison
• Surgical removal of burned skin (skin debridement)
• Tube through the mouth into the stomach to wash out the stomach ( gastric lavage )

  Gastric lavage

  Gastric suction is a procedure to empty the contents of your stomach.

   

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• Washing of the skin (irrigation), perhaps every few hours for several days

Outlook (Prognosis)

How well a person does depends on the amount of poison swallowed and how quickly treatment is received. The faster the person gets medical help, the better the chance for recovery.

Swallowing such poisons can have severe effects on many parts of the body. Damage continues to occur to the kidneys, liver, esophagus, and stomach for several weeks after the substance was swallowed. The outcome depends on this damage.