Whiteness is a fairly common household cleaner for removing dirt and also for cleaning surfaces from bacteria. In addition, the product is used to whiten linen and maintain cleanliness in the bathroom. With a relatively low cost, availability and ease of use, whiteness is widely used in everyday life.
Toxicologists say that the well-known universal remedy is quite dangerous and must be used very carefully. In the chemical composition of whiteness, sodium hypochlorite is present as an active component, which contains chlorine in the amount of 95% of the total mass. For this reason, we can safely say that the usual remedy is a chlorine-containing substance that can cause severe poisoning if safety rules are not followed.
It is important to understand that even a few breaths of chlorine vapor can lead to serious consequences for the body of an adult, who may not feel any changes, but it will be enough for a small child to sniff the cap of a bottle of whiteness so that he has the first signs of poisoning. It should be noted that adults are most often not serious about this issue and do not follow the elementary safety rules for working with aggressive agents. In such cases, the product can get on the skin, in the eyes and even into the esophagus. Such influences require immediate medical attention.
whiteness poisoning
You can get poisoned by whiteness in case of improper use. Also, the risk of intoxication of the body increases in young children, because they are too curious and they are interested in absolutely everything. Therefore, it is important to store such funds in special places that are inaccessible to children. A child can not only inhale the vapors of whiteness, but also taste it or splash it into the eyes when such a remedy causes a severe chemical burn. If it comes into contact with open areas of the body, dry skin may appear, and with constant exposure, the development of eczema.
Symptoms of poisoning
Poisonings are classified into chronic and acute.
Chronic poisoning develops with frequent constant contact with a cleaning agent. In this case, we are not talking about a large number of toxins. In chronic poisoning, a person develops a constant cough, respiratory diseases are activated, health deteriorates, dizziness and headache, nausea, vomiting and convulsions may occur.
Acute poisoning can be of varying severity:
- easy;
- medium;
- heavy.
With a mild form of poisoning, there may be a burning sensation in the eyes, rapid breathing, lacrimation, and a sore throat. Often, all these symptoms disappear after 24 hours without any consequences.
In the moderate form of poisoning, coughing fits, chest compressions, and shortness of breath are added to all the above symptoms.
The severe form is very dangerous, since all the symptoms of a mild and moderate form are present, but episodes of uneven breathing are added to them. It is worth noting that they can be short-lived, but in any case, disrupt the body.
The most serious and dangerous is poisoning with a single ingestion of large amounts of whiteness. The victim develops convulsions, involuntary urination and defecation, swelling of the face and limbs. Most often, such a condition leads to death, when even timely assistance is not able to save a person.
If whiteness enters the respiratory system in large quantities, a fatal outcome is possible after 30 minutes.
Of course, poisoning with this dangerous agent rarely occurs at home, occurring in a severe and lightning-fast form, but still such a possibility cannot be ruled out.
The most dangerous situation that can happen at home is the swallowing of whiteness, especially if the product has entered the digestive tract of a small child. Unfortunately, curious toddlers are not deterred by the strong smell of some cleaning products.
In such a situation, it is important to recognize the symptoms of whiteness poisoning in time, which entered the body through the digestive tract. In a person’s mouth, severe and acute pain immediately appears due to a burn of the mucous membrane. After a few minutes, this pain moves to the esophagus and stomach, vomiting develops with an admixture of blood, which does not alleviate the condition of the victim. The body temperature rises sharply and reaches its maximum. A person instantly has all the symptoms of intoxication of the body: confusion, convulsions, pain in the intestines, shortness of breath, dizziness.
Contact with whiteness in the eyes, most often does not cause serious consequences, if they are immediately rinsed with clean water. But if the product gets into the eyes and no measures are taken, then this is fraught with serious complications. A person’s eyeball turns red, severe itching and burning appear, and with a large amount of whiteness that gets into the eye, acute pain may be present.
First Aid
In order to stabilize the condition of the victim as much as possible, it is important not only to observe precautionary measures, but also to provide first aid correctly.
First of all, it is necessary to stop any contact with the substance, ventilate the room as quickly as possible: open windows, doors and vents. If possible, take the victim outside, place him in a comfortable position and seek specialized help. At the same time, you cannot leave a person alone, as he may lose consciousness. Even if a person says that he feels well, and his condition has stabilized outwardly, he still needs a doctor’s examination and hospitalization to take all the necessary measures and order a full examination to make sure that the internal organs are not damaged.
If a hazardous substance gets into open areas of the body or mucous membranes, they must be immediately washed with clean water. It is most correct to rinse the eyes and skin for 15 minutes, which will ensure complete removal of the product and reduce the risk of burns. If a person is conscious, he needs to provide plenty of fluids, which will significantly reduce the content of whiteness in the body and further treatment will be much more effective.
If the victim is unconscious, he must be laid on his side. In this position, the victim has a minimal risk of falling tongue and getting vomit into the respiratory tract. In addition, it is important to monitor the victim’s pulse and breathing before the arrival of the medical team and, if necessary, perform resuscitation, such as chest compressions and artificial respiration.
It is important to understand that if several people have been poisoned, you must immediately inform the dispatcher about this when calling a team of doctors. It is also necessary if children are poisoned by a toxic substance.
If the poisoning occurred through the gastrointestinal tract, then it is almost impossible to alleviate the condition of a person around, therefore it is necessary to seek specialized help, lay the poisoned person on a flat surface, free the neck from constricting clothing and jewelry and turn the head to one side.
In case of poisoning with vapors of a substance, the victim should be taken out into the air, squeezing clothing should be removed, and water or sweetened tea should be drunk.
If whiteness gets into the eyes, they should be thoroughly rinsed, if possible, drip with an anti-inflammatory agent and consult an ophthalmologist.
Poisoning treatment
Symptoms and method of treatment depend on the degree of poisoning with whiteness, as a rule, in case of poisoning with vapors of the agent, therapy is prescribed, which is aimed at maintaining the respiratory tract and restoring all functions. Heart medications may also be prescribed. If whiteness gets into the eyes, then a complete diagnosis of the organs of vision is required to determine the degree of damage. Treatment is prescribed according to the results obtained.
When swallowed, the stomach is first washed out, then drugs are introduced that prevent the development of intoxication of the body. In addition, funds are prescribed for the normal functioning of the lungs and heart. In certain cases, surgery is required. The result of the operation depends on the amount of the substance that has entered the body and the degree of damage to the internal organs, so timely assistance increases the chances of recovery.
- Sources of
- Emergency care for acute poisoning. – Moscow: Medicine, 2011 – 312 p.
- Dumansky Yu. V., Kabanova N. V., Verhuletsky I. E., Sinepupov N. A., Osipov A. G., Sinepupov D. N. – Acute poisoning. – 2012