Hydrofluric acid
Hydrofluoric acid is found in car wheel cleaners, rust removal and glass etching solutions. Classically the person will present with pain out of proportion hours after dermal exposure.
Category Toxicants
Glyphosate toxicity
Glyphosate is a widely used herbicide. It can cause gastrointestinal corrosive symptoms and due to the surfactant that is present a severe metabolic acidosis, hyperkalaemia and cardiovascular collapse can occur.
Corrosive ingestions
Corrosive ingestion: Patients who are asymptomatic at 4 hours and tolerating oral fluids can be medically cleared. Symptomatic patients need to remain nil by mouth and are admitted for observation and further investigation within 24 hours. Management is then directed dependent on these findings.
Arsenic toxicity
Firstly, lets dispel a myth, organic arsenoids found in seafood are non-toxic. Other pathways to toxicity include the chronic exposure usually following the ingestion of artesian water. Subacute from industrial accidents, food contamination or arsenic-containing herbal medicines.
Iron ingestion
acute ingestion results in gastrointestinal irritation and then dose-related systemic toxicity potentially leading to death. Iron takes hours to reach from the GI tract to the intracellular space. This gives us the opportunity to prevent further absorption in large overdoses with decontamination and chelation.
Hydrocarbon toxicity
Hydrocarbons cause rapid CNS depression, seizures and rarely cardiac dysrhythmias. Aspiration causes a chemical pneumonitis and this risk is increased in those products that have the lowest viscosity.
Chlorine toxicity
Chlorine is a yellow-green, non-combustible gas with a pungent irritating odour however, it can be undetectable at levels above the accepted occupational standards, so you can not always trust your nose.
Cyanide toxicity
Cyanide toxicity is usually reserved for the spy movies whereby the villain will bite down on a capsule of cyanide and instantly froth at the mouth and die. Throughout history there have also been some popular examples including the mass…
Carbon monoxide inhalation
Carbon monoxide can be common cause of poisoning depending on your location or care of lower socioeconomic groups. It can be quite obvious if a fire has occurred or the patient admits to a suicide attempt. Symptoms can be a…
Potassium toxicity
Potassium clearly has its potential for risks including life-threatening hyperkalaemia and cardiac arrest. It is very concerning that the slow-release preparation is available in bottles of 100 without prescription. Aggressive decontamination and haemodialysis are indicated in large overdoses.
Thyroxine toxicity
Thyroxine overdose rarely causes hyperthyroidism, if it does, symptoms are usually mild and can be managed as an outpatient.
Mercury toxicity
Fortunately mercury poisoning is very rare. The risk of toxicity depends on the type of mercury you have been exposed to. Elemental mercury is found in thermometers, barometers, paints, and pigments, these are benign presentations unless aerosolised