Starch poisoning

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Cooking starch poisoning; Laundry starch poisoning

For cooking starch:

• Gastrointestinal
  • Intestinal blockage
  • Stomach area pain

For laundry starch (with very long-term use):

• Bladder and kidneys
  • Significantly decreased urine output (or none)
• Eyes, ears, nose, and throat
  • Jaundice (eyes become yellow)
• Gastrointestinal
  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting
• Heart and blood
  • Convulsions
  • Collapse
  • Fever
  • Low blood pressure
• Skin
  • Blisters
  • Bluish skin, lips, or fingernails
  • Flaking skin
  • Yellow skin
• Nervous system
  • Coma
  • Convulsions
  • Drowsiness
  • Twitching of the arms, hands, legs, or feet
  • Twitching of the facial muscles

If the starch is inhaled it may cause wheezing, rapid breathing, shallow breathing, and chest pain.

If the starch contacts the eyes it may cause redness, tearing and burning.

Review Date: 01/30/2010
Reviewed By: Jacob L. Heller, MD, MHA, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. 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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