What happens if you drink lye

It is also used in processing cotton fabric, laundering and bleaching, metal cleaning and processing, electroplating, oxide coating, and electrolytic extracting. It is commonly present in commercial drain and oven cleaners. Description : Colorless-to-white, odorless, solid that absorbs moisture from the air. Warning properties : Inadequate; no odor.

Flammability : Noncombustible solid, but when in contact with water, it may generate enough heat to ignite combustible materials. Sodium hydroxide dissolves easily in water generating a great deal of heat. It reacts with acids also generating a lot of heat ; halogenated organic compounds; metals such as aluminum, tin, and zinc; and nitromethane.

Sodium hydroxide is corrosive to most metals. Sodium hydroxide is strongly irritating and corrosive. It can cause severe burns and permanent damage to any tissue that it comes in contact with. The extent of damage to the gastrointestinal tract may not be clear until several hours after ingestion.

Inhaled sodium hydroxide can cause swelling of the larynx and an accumulation of fluid in the lungs. It may not be possible to correctly ascertain the degree of damage to eyes for up to 72 hours after exposure.

Children do not always respond to chemicals in the same way that adults do. Different protocols for managing their care may be needed. Inhalation of sodium hydroxide is immediately irritating to the respiratory tract. Swelling or spasms of the larynx leading to upper-airway obstruction and asphyxia can occur after high-dose inhalation.

Inflammation of the lungs and an accumulation of fluid in the lungs may also occur. Children may be more vulnerable to corrosive agents than adults because of the relatively smaller diameter of their airways. Children may be more vulnerable because of relatively increased minute ventilation per kg and failure to evacuate an area promptly when exposed.

People with asthma or emphysema may be more susceptible to the toxicity of this agent. Skin contact with solid sodium hydroxide or its concentrated solutions can cause severe burns with deep ulcerations. Burns appear soft and moist and are very painful. Although contact with concentrated solutions causes pain and irritation within 3 minutes, contact with dilute solutions may not cause symptoms for several hours.

Because of their relatively larger surface area:body weight ratio, children are more vulnerable to toxicants affecting the skin. Eye exposure may produce diffuse or localized blood vessel clots and an accumulation of fluid in the eye. Softening, sloughing, and ulcerations of the cornea may occur.

Ulcerations may continue to progress for many days. Severe injury can lead to clouding of the eye surface and blindness. Ingestion of sodium hydroxide can cause spontaneous vomiting, chest and abdominal pain, and difficulty swallowing with drooling. Corrosive injury to the mouth, throat, esophagus, and stomach is extremely rapid and may result in perforation, hemorrhage, and narrowing of the gastrointestinal tract. Cataracts, glaucoma, adhesion of the eyelid to the cornea, blindness, and loss of the eye may occur after eye exposure.

Cancer of the esophagus has been reported 15 to 40 years after the formation of corrosion-induced strictures. However, it is believed that these cancers were the result of tissue destruction and scar formation rather than a direct cancer-causing action of sodium hydroxide.

Severe inhalation injuries may cause persistent hoarseness and reactive airways dysfunction syndrome RADS , a chemically- or irritant-induced type of asthma. Chronic exposure to dusts or mists of sodium hydroxide may lead to ulceration of the nasal passages. Chronic skin exposures can lead to dermatitis. Ingestion may lead to perforation of the gastrointestinal tract or stricture formation.

Chronic exposure may be more serious for children because of their potential longer latency period. Sodium hydroxide has not been classified for carcinogenic effects. See Potential Sequelae above. Sodium hydroxide dissociates within the body and would not reach the reproductive organs in an unchanged state. No data were located concerning reproductive endpoints in humans exposed to sodium hydroxide.

Sodium hydroxide is not teratogenic in rats. Sodium hydroxide is not included in Reproductive and Developmental Toxicants , a report published by the U. General Accounting Office GAO that lists 30 chemicals of concern because of widely acknowledged reproductive and developmental consequences. Rescuers should be trained and appropriately attired before entering the Hot Zone. If the proper equipment is not available, or if rescuers have not been trained in its use, assistance should be obtained from a local or regional HAZMAT team or other properly equipped response organization.

Respiratory Protection : Positive-pressure, self-contained breathing apparatus SCBA is recommended in response situations that involve exposure to potentially unsafe levels of sodium hydroxide. Skin Protection : Chemical-protective clothing is recommended because sodium hydroxide can cause irritation or skin burns.

Quickly access for a patent airway, ensure adequate respiration and pulse. If trauma is suspected, maintain cervical immobilization manually and apply a cervical collar and a backboard when feasible. If victims can walk, lead them out of the Hot Zone to the Decontamination Zone.

Victims who are unable to walk may be removed on backboards or gurneys; if these are not available, carefully carry or drag victims to safety. Consider appropriate management of chemically contaminated children, such as measures to reduce separation anxiety if a child is separated from a parent or other adult. If exposure levels are determined to be safe, decontamination may be conducted by personnel wearing a lower level of protection than that worn in the Hot Zone described above.

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By James Queally Staff Writer. James Queally. Follow Us twitter instagram email facebook. More From the Los Angeles Times. The long-term outcome depends on the extent of this damage. Damage to the esophagus and stomach continues to occur for several weeks after the poison was swallowed. Death may occur as long as a month later. Keep all poisons in their original or childproof container, with labels visible, and out of the reach of children.

Atlanta, GA: U. Updated October 21, Accessed August 23, Hoyte C. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; chap Thomas SHL. Davidson's Principles and Practice of Medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; chap 7.

Editorial team. Sodium hydroxide poisoning. Poisonous Ingredient. It may also be found in certain household products, including: Aquarium products Clinitest tablets Drain cleaners Hair straighteners Metal polishes Oven cleaners Other products also contain sodium hydroxide.