Health Care Encyclopedia
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SolderDefinition: Solder is a compound used to connect electric wires or other metal parts together. It can cause skin burns, or it can be extremely toxic if ingested in high amounts.
Poisonous Ingredient: - lead
- tin
- zinc
- mild acids
- ethylene glycol
Where Found: Note: This list may not be all inclusive.
Symptoms: For acids found in solders: - burns of mouth and throat
For lead: - body as a whole
- eyes, ears, nose, and throat
- skin
- gastrointestinal
- loss of appetite
- weight loss
- constipation
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- abdominal pain
- heart and blood vessels
- nervous system
For tin and zinc chloride: - body as a whole
- burns in the mouth and throat
- convulsions
- collapse
- blood in urine
- decreased urine output
- no urine output
- eyes, ears, nose, and throat
- jaundice (eyes appear yellow)
- skin
- gastrointestinal
For ethylene glycol: - the amount of ethylene glycol in solder is small, but the substance is extremely toxic
- renal
- blood
- extreme disturbances in blood pH which can lead to multi-organ failure and death.
Home Treatment: Wash from skin or eyes. For any ingestion, seek emergency medical care immediately. Do not induce vomiting.
Before Calling Emergency: Determine the following information: - the patient's age, weight, and condition
- the name of the product (ingredients and strengths, if known)
- the time it was swallowed
- the amount swallowed
Poison Control, or a local emergency number: See Poison Control numbers. Bring the poison container with you to the emergency room.
What to expect at the emergency room: - For swallowed poison
- Immediate hemodialysis may be required for survival
- Placement of a tube down the nose and into the stomach (a nasogastric tube, or an NG tube) to wash out the stomach
- Activated charcoal administration
- Endoscopy -- the placement of a camera down the throat to see the extent of burns to the esophagus and the stomach
- Give IV fluids
- Admission to the hospital
- Give an antidote
- Treat the symptoms
- For inhaled poisons
- A breathing tube may need to be inserted
- Oxygen
- Admission to the hospital or to the intensive care unit
- Bronchoscopy (inserting a camera down the throat into the airway to evaluate the extent of burns to the airway and lungs)
- For skin exposure
- Irrigation (washing of the skin), perhaps every few hours for several days
- Skin debridement (surgical removal of burned skin)
- Admission or transfer to a hospital that specializes in burn care
Expectations (prognosis): - for lead
- Complete recovery takes a year or more.
- Many who do not die may suffer permanent brain damage.
- for tin and zinc
- If the amount of zinc or tin is low, recovery should be within approximately 6 hours.
- for the acids
- The length and extent of recovery depends on the extent of tissue damage that has occurred.
- for ethylene glycol
- Ethylene glycol is extremely toxic. Survival and prognosis depend on the amount ingested and time to treatment.
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| Review Date: 4/16/2004 Reviewed By: Cherlin Johnson, M.D., Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
| The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 2002 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
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