Plastic casting resin poisoning

Definition

This is poisoning from eating or swallowing plastic casting resin.

Alternative Names

Poisonous Ingredient

• Epoxy
• Resin

Where Found

• Various plastic casting resin products

Symptoms

• Lungs
  • Breathing difficulty (from inhalation)
• Eyes, ears, nose, and throat
  • Severe pain in the throat
  • Severe pain or burning in the nose, eyes, ears, lips, or tongue
  • Loss of vision
  • Throat swelling (which may also cause breathing difficulty)
• Gastrointestinal
  • Severe abdominal pain
  • Vomiting
  • Burns of the esophagus (food pipe)
  • Vomiting blood
  • Blood in the stool
• Heart and blood vessels
  • Hypotension (low blood pressure) develops rapidly
  • Collapse
• Skin
  • Irritation
  • Burn
  • Necrosis (holes) in the skin or underlying tissues

Home Treatment

Seek immediate medical help.

If the chemical is on the skin or in the eyes, flush with lots of water for at least 15 minutes.

Before Calling Emergency

Determine the following information:

• The patient's age, weight, and condition
• Name of product (as well as the ingredients and strength, if known)
• The time it was swallowed
• The amount swallowed

Poison Control, or a local emergency number

The National Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222) can be called from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.

This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the U.S. use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Take the container with you to the hospital, if possible.

See National Poison Control center.

What to expect at the emergency room

The health care provider will measure and monitor the patient's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure. The patient may receive:

• Fluids by IV
• Medicines to treat symptoms
• A nasogastric (NG) tube thru the nose into the stomach to empty the stomach (gastric lavage) 
• Endoscopy -- the placement of a camera down the throat to see the extent of burns to the esophagus and the stomach
• Breathing tube
• Oxygen
• Bronchoscopy (inserting a camera down the throat into the airway to evaluate the extent of burns to the airway and lungs)
• Irrigation (washing of the skin), perhaps every few hours for several days
• Skin debridement (surgical removal of burned skin)

Expectations (prognosis)

Recovery and prognosis depend on the amount of exposure and the time to treatment. Serious toxicity may occur. Seek emergency medical care immediately.