I just posted a Litratong Pinoy submission about locks and my daughter came down in the basement with wet red stained shirt. I was shocked and worried that she might have hurt herself. Quick as lightning I investigated what was the commotion all about. My son said “Sorry Mom, we spilled your stuff!” I went and checked and the bottle of jewelry cleaner liquid was all. I looked at my one year old and she was coughing slightly. Empty bottle plus coughing equals she might have chugged some of the cleaner down her pipe.

First thing that came in my mind was poisoning. I immediately called my doctor but she was out for lunch. Here are the steps that I did to prevent poisoning:

1. Called my child’s primary care physician.

2. Dialed the National Poison Control Center. They asked if I have the bottle handy and read to them the brand of the cleaner. The call center agent asked if I knew the strenght of the cleaner. And he also asked for my zip code address. He checked against the ingredient database what exactly this brand of jewelry cleaner will do to my child.

3. I got dressed for the emergency room when my physician called and reassured me that there is no real danger until I see signs that my daughter is chocking. She recommended to give water, juice or milk for the next few hours and monitor my child for signs to go to the emergency room.

I looked up “jewelry cleaner ingredients” from HowStuffWorks and here is the information I gathered:

Definition

This is poisoning from swallowing jewelry cleaner.

Poisonous Ingredient

• Detergent
• Soap
• Corrosive alkali
• Ammonia

Where Found

• Some jewelry cleaners

Note: This list may not be all inclusive.

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 vessels
  • Hypotension (low blood pressure) develops rapidly
  • Collapse
• Skin
  • Irritation
  • Burn
  • 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 Treatment

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.

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

Poison Control, or a local emergency number

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)

Expectations (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.

Jewelry cleaner can cause severe burns to the inside of the gastrointestinal tract. Extensive damage to the mouth, throat, eyes, lungs, esophagus, nose, and stomach are possible. The ultimate outcome depends on the extent of this damage. Damage continues to occur to the esophagus and stomach for several weeks after the poison was swallowed, and death may occur as long as a month later.

When you are faced with possible issues of poisoning, please call your doctor, The National Poison Control Center, and go to the emergency room as fast as you can. Thanks to the National Poison Control Database, my child is safe.

photoby:tampafl.gov