Tar remover poisoning
Tar remover is used to get rid of tar, a dark oily material. This article discusses health problems that may occur if you breathe in, swallow, or touch tar remover.
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 your local emergency number (such as 911), or your local poison control center can be reached directly by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States.
Poisonous Ingredient
Tar remover contains compounds called hydrocarbons. These include:
- Benzene
- Dichloromethane
- Light aromatic naphtha
- Methane chloride
- Toluene
- Xylene
Where Found
Various tar removal products contain these compounds.
Symptoms
Below are symptoms of tar remover poisoning in different parts of the body.
AIRWAYS AND LUNGS
- Breathing difficulty
- Throat swelling, which can lead to breathing difficulty
EYES, EARS, NOSE, AND THROAT
- Severe pain or burning in the throat, nose, eyes, ears, lips, or tongue
- Vision loss
HEART AND BLOOD
- Collapse
- Low blood pressure (shock)
Shock
Shock is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body is not getting enough blood flow. Lack of blood flow means the cells and organs do n...
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STOMACH AND INTESTINES
- Abdominal pain -- severe
- Blood in the stools
- Burns of the esophagus (food pipe)
- Nausea
- Vomiting (may be bloody)
NERVOUS SYSTEM
- Depression
Depression
Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. Most of us feel this way at one time or another for shor...
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- Drowsiness
Drowsiness
Drowsiness refers to feeling more sleepy than normal during the day. People who are drowsy may fall asleep when they do not want to or at times whic...
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- Headache
Headache
A headache is pain or discomfort in the head, scalp, or neck. Serious causes of headaches are rare. Most people with headaches can feel much better...
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- Seizures
Seizures
A seizure is the physical changes in behavior that occurs during an episode of specific types of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. The term ...
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- Weakness
SKIN
- Burns
- Irritation
- Holes in the skin or tissues under the skin
Home Care
Seek medical help right away. Do not make the person throw up unless poison control or a health care provider tells you to. If the person swallowed the tar remover, give them water or milk right away, if poison control or a provider tells you to do so. Do not give anything to drink if the person has symptoms that make it hard to swallow. These include vomiting, seizures, or a decreased level of alertness.
If the person breathed in fumes, move them to fresh air right away.
Before Calling Emergency
Have this information ready:
- The person's age, weight, and condition
- The name of the product (and ingredients, if known)
- The time it was swallowed
- The amount swallowed
Poison Control
Your local poison control center can be reached directly by calling the national 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 center
For 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 ArticleThis 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
Take the container with you to the hospital, if possible.
The provider will measure and monitor the person's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure.
Vital signs
Vital signs reflect essential body functions, including your heartbeat, breathing rate, temperature, and blood pressure. Your health care provider m...
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- Blood and urine tests
- Bronchoscopy -- camera down the throat to look for burns in the airways and lungs
- Chest x-ray
Chest x-ray
A chest x-ray is an x-ray of the chest, lungs, heart, large arteries, ribs, and diaphragm.
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Electrocardiogram (ECG)
Electrocardiogram
An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart.
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Endoscopy -- camera down the throat to look for burns in the esophagus and the stomach
Endoscopy
Endoscopy is a way of looking inside the body using a flexible tube that has a small camera and light on the end of it. This instrument is called an...
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Treatment may include:
- Fluids through a vein (IV)
- Washing of the skin (irrigation), perhaps every few hours for several days
- Tube through the mouth into the stomach to wash out the stomach (gastric lavage)
- Surgery to remove burned skin
- Breathing support, including tube through the mouth into the lungs and connected to a breathing machine (ventilator)
Ventilator
A ventilator is a machine that breathes for you or helps you breathe. It is also called a breathing machine or respirator. The ventilator: Is attac...
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Outlook (Prognosis)
How well someone does depends on how much tar remover was swallowed and how quickly treatment is received. The faster medical help is given, the better the chance for recovery.
Swallowing such poisons can have severe effects on many parts of the body. Burns in the airway or gastrointestinal tract can lead to tissue necrosis, resulting in infection, shock and death, even several months after the initial swallowing event. Scars may form in these tissues leading to long-term difficulties with breathing, swallowing, and digestion.
If kerosene gets into the lungs (aspiration), serious and, possibly permanent lung damage can occur.
Aspiration
Aspiration means to draw in or out using a sucking motion. It has two meanings:Breathing in a foreign object (for example, sucking food into the air...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleReviewed 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.
Aronson JK. Organic solvents. In: Aronson JK, ed. Meyler's Side Effects of Drugs. 16th ed. Waltham, MA: Elsevier; 2016:385-389.
Wang GS, Buchanan JA. Hydrocarbons. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 147.