ADAM Health Encyclopedia

Calcium phosphate

Definition

This poisoning is caused by an overdose of calcium phosphate, a substance found in some cosmetics, industrial chemicals, and cements.

Alternative Names

Poisonous Ingredient

Calcium phosphate

Where Found

• Some cosmetic products
• Some industrial chemicals and cements

Symptoms

Most symptoms are seen with severe exposures and overdoses.

• Lungs
  • Breathing difficulty (from inhalation)
  • Throat swelling (which may also cause breathing difficulty)
• 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
• Gastrointestinal
  • Severe abdominal pain
  • Intestinal obstruction
  • Vomiting
  • Burns of the esophagus (food pipe)
  • Vomiting blood
  • Blood in the stool
  • Nausea
  • Decreased appetite
  • Constipation
• Heart and blood vessels
  • Hypotension (low blood pressure) develops rapidly
  • Collapse
• Skin
  • Irritation
  • Burn
  • Necrosis (holes) in the skin or underlying tissues
• Blood
  • Severe change in pH (too much or too little acid in the blood, which leads to damage in all of the body organs)
• Nervous system
  • Confusion
  • Delirium
  • Stupor (lack of alertness)
  • Coma

Home Care

Calcium phosphate is generally considered to be relatively nontoxic, but large amounts or inhalations can result in serious poisoning.

DO NOT make a person throw up unless told to do so by Poison Control or a health care professional. 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.

If the chemical was swallowed, immediately give the person water or milk, unless instructed otherwise by a health care provider. DO NOT give water or milk if the patient is having symptoms (such as vomiting, convulsions, or a decreased level of alertness) that make it hard to swallow.

If the person breathed in the poison, immediately move him or her to fresh air.

Before Calling Emergency

Determine the following information:

• The patient's age, weight, and condition
• The name of the product (ingredients and strengths, if known)
• The time it was swallowed
• The amount swallowed

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
• Activated charcoal
• A nasogastric (NG) tube thru the nose into the stomach to empty the stomach (gastric lavage)
• Medicines to treat an allergic reaction (diphenhydramine, epinephrine, or prednisone)
• Endoscopy -- the placement of a camera down the throat to see the extent of burns to the esophagus and the stomach
• Medicine (antidote) to reverse the effect of the poison
• Irrigation (washing of the skin), perhaps every few hours for several days
• Skin debridement (surgical removal of burned skin)
• Breathing tube
• Oxygen
• Bronchoscopy (camera down the throat into the airway to evaluate the extent of burns to the airway and lungs)

Outlook (Prognosis)

How well a patient does depends on the amount of poison swallowed or inhaled and how quickly treatment was received. Recovery is very likely, because this product is relatively nontoxic.