Bleach Poisoning

Sodium hypochlorite bleach, commonly found in every household, is useful for cleaning clothes. Stains that are resistant to detergents, respond quite well to bleaching agents. Hair bleaching is a popular remedy to give different shades to locks of hair. The appealing hair colors like red or purple can be easily obtained by bleaching the hair. To get that rock star like look, youngsters often bleach their hair. Here the bleaching agents are ammonium persulfate or hydrogen peroxide that ensure a striking hair color.

Once the bleaching agent is applied on the hair, one has to rinse it thoroughly by taking a shower bath. It may happen that while washing the hair with water, some amount of bleach may travel down to the face and swallowed unknowingly. Bleach contain chemicals, hazardous to health and its ingestion may lead to what is known as bleach poisoning. Even skin contact with sodium hypochlorite bleach, when washing clothes can damage the skin.

Symptoms

The person will experience symptoms immediately or after a few hours depending upon how much poison has been ingested unknowingly. Swallowing in large amount inadvertently can bring immediate disturbances in the body. People after ingesting bleach, often complain about abdominal pain. Other common symptoms of bleach ingestion are given below:

Sore Throat
A person who has swallowed bleach is bound to experience a burning sensation in the throat. The throat pain worsens with time.

Trouble Breathing
Bleach ingestion can also interfere with the person's ability to breathe normally. In other words, swallowing bleach can make breathing troublesome, a difficult task. Pulmonary complications such as breathing problems and lung infection, resulting from bleach poisoning require immediate treatment.

Nausea
The person may also experience a nauseous feeling, after unknowingly consuming bleach. Nausea is a feeling that occurs just before vomiting.

Diarrhea
This is yet another response of the body's immune system to bleach ingestion. Diarrhea means the person excrete watery stools and is typically marked by frequent visits to the toilet.

Low Blood Pressure
The ingredients in blood pressure can also affect the normal blood pressure. A sharp drop in blood pressure may be observed after swallowing bleach.

Slurred Speech
Bleach ingestion can also affect the tongue. The inability to speak clearly is another side effect of bleach poisoning.

Reduced Level of Alertness
The person is found to be mentally less alert and may also slip into coma after some time.

Eye Damage
If the bleach has come in contact with the eye, initially, it can cause irritation, redness and burning sensation in the eye. Burns to the eye is another damaging side effect of bleach.

Rash
Frequent exposure to the skin can lead to the development of rash. The reddened skin typically shows blisters and bring irritation.

Treatment

When swallowed in small amounts, sodium hypochlorite bleach is usually not a cause of worry as the body reacts by immediate vomiting, to get rid of the poison. As aforementioned, the person may suffer from gastrointestinal disorders like diarrhea. One of the best ways to get rid of this toxic matter, as early as possible, is to drink plenty of fluids. This helps the body to eliminate the poisonous substance in the form of urine. In case of eye contact, washing the eyes immediately for 10-15 minutes is important to prevent any major damage to the eye.

On the whole, bleach poisoning can also occur even when it is ingested in small amounts. So, in such cases consulting the doctor is the need of the hour and taking medical treatment at the earliest, is essential to increase the chances of survival and to prevent further complications.