BACK TOTOP Browse A-ZSearchBrowse A-ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0-9 E-mail FormEmail ResultsName:Email address:Recipients Name:Recipients address:Message: Print-FriendlyBookmarksbookmarks-menuSulfuric acid poisoningBattery acid poisoning; Hydrogen sulfate poisoning; Oil of vitriol poisoning; Matting acid poisoning; Vitriol brown oil poisoningSulfuric acid is a very strong chemical that is corrosive. Corrosive means it can cause severe burns and tissue damage when it comes into contact with the skin or mucous membranes. This article discusses poisoning from sulfuric acid.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 the local emergency number (such as 911), or the local poison control center can be reached directly by calling the toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States. Poisonous Ingredient Sulfuric acid Where Found Sulfuric acid is found in:Car battery acid Certain detergents Chemical munitions Some fertilizers Some toilet bowl cleanersToilet bowl cleanersToilet bowl cleaners and deodorizers are substances used to clean and remove odors from toilets. Poisoning may occur if someone swallows toilet bowl...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Note: This list may not be all-inclusive. Symptoms Initial symptoms include severe pain on contact.Symptoms from swallowing may also include:Breathing difficulty due to throat swelling Breathing difficultyBreathing difficulty may involve:Difficult breathing Uncomfortable breathingFeeling like you are not getting enough airRead Article Now Book Mark Article Burns in the mouth and throat Drooling Fever Rapid development of low blood pressure (shock) Severe pain in the mouth and throat Speech problems Vomiting, with blood Vision loss Symptoms from breathing in the poison may include:Bluish skin, lips, and fingernails Bluish skinA bluish color to the skin or mucous membrane is usually due to a lack of oxygen in the blood. The medical term is cyanosis.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Breathing difficulty Body weakness Chest pain (tightness) Chest painChest pain is discomfort or pain that you feel anywhere along the front of your body between your neck and upper abdomen.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Choking Choking Choking is when someone is having a very hard time breathing because food, a toy, or other object is blocking the throat or windpipe (airway). A cho...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Coughing Coughing up blood Coughing up bloodCoughing up blood is the spitting up of blood or bloody mucus from the lungs and throat (respiratory tract). Hemoptysis is the medical term for cough...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Dizziness DizzinessDizziness is a term that is often used to describe 2 different symptoms: lightheadedness and vertigo. Lightheadedness is a feeling that you might fai...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Low blood pressure Rapid pulse Rapid pulseA bounding pulse is a strong throbbing felt over one of the arteries in the body. It is due to a forceful heartbeat.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Shortness of breathShortness of breathBreathing difficulty may involve:Difficult breathing Uncomfortable breathingFeeling like you are not getting enough airRead Article Now Book Mark Article Symptoms from skin or eye contact may include:Skin burning, drainage, and pain Eye burning, drainage, and pain Vision loss Home Care Do not make a person throw up. Seek medical help right away.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. Do not give water or milk if the person is having symptoms that make it hard to swallow. These may include vomiting, convulsions, or a decreased level of alertness.If the person breathed in the poison, immediately move them to fresh air. Before Calling Emergency Get the following information, if possible:Person's age, weight, and condition Name of the product (as well as the ingredients and strength if known) Time it was swallowed Amount swallowed Take the container with you to the emergency room. Poison Control Your local poison control center can be reached directly by calling the toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.Poison control centerFor a POISON EMERGENCY call:1-800-222-1222ANYWHERE IN THE UNITED STATESThis national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. This ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article 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 the person's vital signs, including:Oxygen saturation Temperature Pulse Breathing rate Blood pressure Symptoms will be treated as appropriate. The person may receive:Blood tests Airway and/or breathing support -- including oxygen via external delivery device or endotracheal intubation (placement of a breathing tube through the mouth or nose into the airway) with placement on a ventilator (life support breathing machine). Electrocardiogram (ECG) Endoscopy -- a camera is used to examine down the throat to see burns in the esophagus and the stomach Laryngoscopy or bronchoscopy -- a device (laryngoscope) or camera (bronchoscope) is used to examine the throat and airway to see burns Eye irrigation Fluids through a vein (IV) Medicines to treat symptoms Surgery to repair any tissue damage Surgical removal of burned skin (skin debridement) Washing of the skin (irrigation), perhaps every few hours for several days X-rays of the chest and abdomen Outlook (Prognosis) How well a person does depends on how fast the poison is diluted and neutralized. Extensive damage to the mouth, throat, eyes, lungs, esophagus, nose, and stomach is possible. The ultimate outcome depends on how much damage there is.Damage continues to occur to the esophagus and stomach for several weeks after the poison is swallowed, which can lead to serious infection and failure of multiple organs. Treatment may require the removal of part of the esophagus and stomach. If the poison enters the lungs, serious damage may occur, both immediately and long-term.Swallowing the poison may cause death. It may occur as long as a month after the poisoning.Open ReferencesReferencesHoyte C. Caustics. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 143.Mazzeo AS. Burn care procedures. In: Roberts JR, Custalow CB, Thomsen TW, eds. Roberts and Hedges' Clinical Procedures in Emergency Medicine and Acute Care. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 38.AllVideoImagesTogRelated Information Review Date: 7/6/2022 Reviewed By: Jesse Borke, MD, CPE, FAAEM, FACEP, Attending Physician at Kaiser Permanente, Orange County, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. 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Sulfuric acid poisoningBattery acid poisoning; Hydrogen sulfate poisoning; Oil of vitriol poisoning; Matting acid poisoning; Vitriol brown oil poisoningSulfuric acid is a very strong chemical that is corrosive. Corrosive means it can cause severe burns and tissue damage when it comes into contact with the skin or mucous membranes. This article discusses poisoning from sulfuric acid.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 the local emergency number (such as 911), or the local poison control center can be reached directly by calling the toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States. Poisonous Ingredient Sulfuric acid Where Found Sulfuric acid is found in:Car battery acid Certain detergents Chemical munitions Some fertilizers Some toilet bowl cleanersToilet bowl cleanersToilet bowl cleaners and deodorizers are substances used to clean and remove odors from toilets. Poisoning may occur if someone swallows toilet bowl...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Note: This list may not be all-inclusive. Symptoms Initial symptoms include severe pain on contact.Symptoms from swallowing may also include:Breathing difficulty due to throat swelling Breathing difficultyBreathing difficulty may involve:Difficult breathing Uncomfortable breathingFeeling like you are not getting enough airRead Article Now Book Mark Article Burns in the mouth and throat Drooling Fever Rapid development of low blood pressure (shock) Severe pain in the mouth and throat Speech problems Vomiting, with blood Vision loss Symptoms from breathing in the poison may include:Bluish skin, lips, and fingernails Bluish skinA bluish color to the skin or mucous membrane is usually due to a lack of oxygen in the blood. The medical term is cyanosis.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Breathing difficulty Body weakness Chest pain (tightness) Chest painChest pain is discomfort or pain that you feel anywhere along the front of your body between your neck and upper abdomen.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Choking Choking Choking is when someone is having a very hard time breathing because food, a toy, or other object is blocking the throat or windpipe (airway). A cho...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Coughing Coughing up blood Coughing up bloodCoughing up blood is the spitting up of blood or bloody mucus from the lungs and throat (respiratory tract). Hemoptysis is the medical term for cough...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Dizziness DizzinessDizziness is a term that is often used to describe 2 different symptoms: lightheadedness and vertigo. Lightheadedness is a feeling that you might fai...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Low blood pressure Rapid pulse Rapid pulseA bounding pulse is a strong throbbing felt over one of the arteries in the body. It is due to a forceful heartbeat.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Shortness of breathShortness of breathBreathing difficulty may involve:Difficult breathing Uncomfortable breathingFeeling like you are not getting enough airRead Article Now Book Mark Article Symptoms from skin or eye contact may include:Skin burning, drainage, and pain Eye burning, drainage, and pain Vision loss Home Care Do not make a person throw up. Seek medical help right away.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. Do not give water or milk if the person is having symptoms that make it hard to swallow. These may include vomiting, convulsions, or a decreased level of alertness.If the person breathed in the poison, immediately move them to fresh air. Before Calling Emergency Get the following information, if possible:Person's age, weight, and condition Name of the product (as well as the ingredients and strength if known) Time it was swallowed Amount swallowed Take the container with you to the emergency room. Poison Control Your local poison control center can be reached directly by calling the toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.Poison control centerFor a POISON EMERGENCY call:1-800-222-1222ANYWHERE IN THE UNITED STATESThis national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. This ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article 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 the person's vital signs, including:Oxygen saturation Temperature Pulse Breathing rate Blood pressure Symptoms will be treated as appropriate. The person may receive:Blood tests Airway and/or breathing support -- including oxygen via external delivery device or endotracheal intubation (placement of a breathing tube through the mouth or nose into the airway) with placement on a ventilator (life support breathing machine). Electrocardiogram (ECG) Endoscopy -- a camera is used to examine down the throat to see burns in the esophagus and the stomach Laryngoscopy or bronchoscopy -- a device (laryngoscope) or camera (bronchoscope) is used to examine the throat and airway to see burns Eye irrigation Fluids through a vein (IV) Medicines to treat symptoms Surgery to repair any tissue damage Surgical removal of burned skin (skin debridement) Washing of the skin (irrigation), perhaps every few hours for several days X-rays of the chest and abdomen Outlook (Prognosis) How well a person does depends on how fast the poison is diluted and neutralized. Extensive damage to the mouth, throat, eyes, lungs, esophagus, nose, and stomach is possible. The ultimate outcome depends on how much damage there is.Damage continues to occur to the esophagus and stomach for several weeks after the poison is swallowed, which can lead to serious infection and failure of multiple organs. Treatment may require the removal of part of the esophagus and stomach. If the poison enters the lungs, serious damage may occur, both immediately and long-term.Swallowing the poison may cause death. It may occur as long as a month after the poisoning.Open ReferencesReferencesHoyte C. Caustics. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 143.Mazzeo AS. Burn care procedures. In: Roberts JR, Custalow CB, Thomsen TW, eds. Roberts and Hedges' Clinical Procedures in Emergency Medicine and Acute Care. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 38.