Causes and Risks:

• sodium chloride
• copper sulfate
• sodium hydroxide
• potassium permanganate

Where Found:

• various aquarium products

Symptoms: For sodium chloride:
(a fairly large dose of sodium chloride would normally be necessary to cause the following symtoms - this is not necessarily true of other ingredients found in aquarium products )

• body as a whole
  • convulsions
  • muscular twitching and rigidity
  • thirst
  • fever
• respiratory
  • stop breathing
  • rapid breathing
• nervous system
  • coma
• gastrointestinal
  • vomiting
  • diarrhea

• body as a whole
  • pain in the mouth
  • blood in the urine
  • painful urination
  • no urine output
  • collapse
  • convulsions
• eyes, ears, nose, and throat
  • pain in the throat
  • yellow eyes
• skin
  • yellow skin
• gastrointestinal
  • vomiting
  • diarrhea (watery, bloody)
• heart and blood vessels
  • low blood pressure

• body as a whole
  • severe pain in the mouth
  • collapse
• respiratory
  • inability to breathe due to the throat swelling shut
• eyes, ears, nose, and throat
  • severe pain in the throat
• gastrointestinal
  • severe abdominal pain
  • diarrhea
• heart and blood vessels
  • rapid drop in blood pressure

• body as a whole
  • brown discoloration of the mouth and lips
  • swelling of the lips
  • shock
  • low urine output
  • no urine output
• respiratory
  • cough
  • breathing results in loud sounds
• eyes, ears, nose, and throat
  • swelling of the throat
  • yellow eyes
• skin
  • yellow skin
• heart and blood vessels
  • slow pulse
  • drop in blood pressure

Home Treatment: For sodium chloride, sodium hydroxide, copper sulfate, potassium permanganate:

DO NOT INDUCE EMESIS (VOMITING). If the product is on the skin or in the eyes, flush with lots of water for at least 15 minutes. If the product was swallowed, have the person drink water or milk IMMEDIATELY. If the patient is vomiting, keep giving water or milk.

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

Call Poison Control: They will instruct you if it is necessary to take the patient to the hospital. See Poison Control centers for telephone numbers and addresses. Take the container with you to the emergency room.

What To Expect: Some or all of the following procedures may be performed:

• For sodium chloride:
  • Administer dialysis
  • Treat the symptoms
• For copper sulfate:
  • Give fluids.
  • Give an antidote.
  • Treat the symptoms.
• For sodium hydroxide:
  • for swallowed poison
    • Give fluids.
    • Treat the symptoms.
  • for inhaled poison
    • Treat the symptoms.
• For potassium permanganate:
  • Use gastric lavage.
  • Treat the symptoms.

For sodium chloride: Deaths have occurred.

For cooper sulfate: If symptoms are mild after 6 hours, recovery will probably occur. Deaths have occurred up to a week after swallowing the poison.

For sodium hydroxide: The prognosis (probable outcome) depends on how rapidly the alkali was diluted and neutralized. Extensive damage to the mouth, throat, and stomach are possible. The ultimate outcome will be dependent on the extent of this damage. Damage continues to occur to the esophagus and stomach for several weeks after the alkali was swallowed. Deaths have occurred when initial symptoms were very serious.

For potassium permanganate: Deaths have occurred when initial symptoms were very serious.