Health Encyclopedia

Chlorine poisoning

Definition

Chlorine is found in non-toxic concentrations in many household products, including swimming pool water, mild cleaners, or mild bleaches. However, swallowing or breathing in (inhaling) inhalation pure or highly concentrated chlorine can cause severe damage to the lungs and other organs. In fact, chlorine gas and related substances have been used as chemical weapons.

Poisonous Ingredient

Chlorine, which reacts with water in and out of the body to form hydrochloric acid and hypochlorous acid. Both are extremely poisonous.

Where Found

Swimming pool water (and tablets used in swimming pool water)
Gas released when mixing bleach with some of the powdered cleansing products and ammonia (chloramine gas)
Some bleach products
Gas released when opening a partially filled industrial container of chlorine tablets that have been sitting for several months (for example, the first opening of a container after a pool has been closed all winter)

Note: This list may not be all inclusive.

Symptoms

Airways and lungs
- Breathing difficulty (from inhalation)
- Throat swelling (may also cause breathing difficulty)
- Pulmonary edema (water filling the lungs)
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 of the esophagus (food pipe)
- Vomiting blood
- Blood in the stool
Heart and blood vessels
- Hypotension (low blood pressure) develops rapidly
- Collapse
Skin
- Irritation
- Burns
- Necrosis (holes) in the skin or underlying tissues
Blood
- Severe change in acid levels of the blood (pH balance) which leads to damage in all of the body organs)

Home Treatment

DO NOT make a person throw up unless told to do so by Poison Control or a health care professional. Seek immediate medical help.

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. 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 him or her to fresh air.

Before Calling Emergency

Determine 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, or a local emergency number

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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
Medicines to treat symptoms
Activated charcoal
A nasogastric (NG) tube thru the nose into the stomach to empty the stomach (gastric lavage)
Endoscopy -- the placement of a camera down the throat to see the extent of burns to the esophagus and the stomach
Medicine (antidote) to reverse the effect of the poison
Oxygen
Breathing tube
Bronchoscopy (camera down the throat to see the lungs and airways)
Irrigation (washing of the skin), perhaps every few hours for several days
Skin debridement (surgical removal of burned skin)

In severe cases, the patient may be admitted to the hospital.

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.

Death is quite possible with large poisonings.

Review Date:5/16/2006
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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