Oven cleaners Health Article

Definition

This article discusses the harmful effects from swallowing or breathing in an oven cleaner.

Poisonous Ingredient

Corrosive alkalis

Where Found

Oven cleaners are sold under various brand names. Some include:

• Easy Off oven cleaner
• Mr. Muscle oven and grill cleaner

This list is not all-inclusive.

Symptoms

• Airways and lungs
  • Breathing difficulty -- from breathing in fumes
  • 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
  • Vision loss
• Gastrointestinal
  • Abdominal pain
  • Bloody stools
  • Burns and possible holes of the esophagus (food pipe)
  • Vomiting, possibly bloody
• Heart and blood
  • Collapse
  • Low blood pressure -- develops rapidly
  • Severe change in blood acid level -- leads to organ damage
• Skin
  • Burns
  • Holes in the skin or underlying tissues
  • Irritation

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.

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

Before Calling Emergency

Determine the following information:

• The patient's age, weight, and condition
• Name of product (as well as the ingredients and strength, 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 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.

Take the container with you to the hospital, if possible.

See: Poison control center - emergency number

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. Symptoms will be treated as appropriate. The patient may receive:

• Breathing tube
• Bronchoscopy -- camera down the throat to see burns in the airways and lungs
• Endoscopy -- camera down the throat to see burns in the esophagus and the stomach
• Fluids through a vein (IV)
• Oxygen
• Pain medicines
• Surgical removal of burned skin (skin debridement)
• Washing of the skin (irrigation) -- perhaps every few hours for several days

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.

Swallowing such poisons can have severe effects on many parts of the body. Oven cleaners can cause severe burns inside the entire gastrointestinal tract. The ultimate outcome depends on the extent of this damage.