MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Face powder

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Face powder

Contents of this page:
Definition Poisonous Ingredient Where Found Symptoms Home Care	Before Calling Emergency Poison Control What to Expect at the Emergency Room Outlook (Prognosis)

Definition

This poisoning is from swallowing or breathing in face powder.

Poisonous Ingredient

Talcum powder
Baking soda
Many other types of powder

Where Found

Face powder

Note: This list may not be all inclusive.

Symptoms

Breathing difficulty
Burning pain in the throat
Blurred vision
Burns to the eye
Rash
Vomiting
Abdominal pain
Diarrhea (watery, bloody)

Home Care

With any toxic ingestion or allergic reaction, seek emergency medical care immediately. If the powder was swallowed, dilute with water or milk. Contact Poison Control for further guidance. Do not induce vomiting.

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

Poison Control

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
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, prednisone, or epinephrine)
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)

In severe cases, the patient may be admitted to the hospital.

Outlook (Prognosis)

These products are not considered very toxic, so recovery is very likely.

Update Date: 3/8/2006

Updated by: Stephen C Acosta, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, Portland VA Medical Center, Portland, OR. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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