Sodium hypochlorite poisoning

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• Breathing tube
• Bronchoscopy -- camera down the throat to see burns in the airways and lungs
• Oxygen

For skin exposure, treatment may include:

• Irrigation (washing of the skin), perhaps every few hours for several days
• Skin debridement (surgical removal of burned skin)
• Transfer to a hospital that specializes in burn care

Swallowing , smelling, or touching household bleach will likely not cause any significant problems. However, more severe problems can occur with industrial strength bleach, or mixing bleach with ammonia.

How well a patient does depends on how rapidly the sodium hypochlorite was diluted and neutralized. There is a good chance of recovery if proper treatment is given soon after the poison was swallowed. Without prompt treatment, extensive damage to the mouth, throat, eyes, lungs, esophagus, nose, and stomach are possible, depending on how exposure occurred.

Review Date: 02/02/2011
Reviewed By: Eric Perez, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).

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