Health Encyclopedia
Tar remover
Definition
This is poisoning due to breathing in or touching tar remover.
Poisonous Ingredient
Hydrocarbons (light aromatic naphta, benzene, toluene, xylene, methane chloride, dichloromethane)
Where Found
Various tar removal products
Note: This list is not all inclusive.Symptoms
- 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
- Vomiting (may be bloody)
- Nausea
- Burns of the esophagus (food pipe)
- Blood in the stool
- Heart and blood
- Hypotension (low blood pressure)
- Collapse
- Skin
- Irritation
- Burn
- Necrosis (holes) in the skin or underlying tissues
- Nervous system
- Depression
- Headaches
- Dizziness
Home Care
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 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 (as well as the ingredients and strength, 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 by IV
- Medicines to treat symptoms
- Activated charcoal
- A nasogastric (NG) tube thru the nose into the stomach to empty the stomach (gastric lavage)
- Endoscopy -- camera down the throat to see burns to the esophagus and stomach
- Medicine (antidote) to reverse the effect of the poison
- Irrigation (washing of the skin), perhaps every few hours for several days
- Skin debridment (surgical removal of burned skin)
- Breathing tube
- Oxygen
- Bronchoscopy - camera down the throat to see burns in the airways and lungs
Outlook (Prognosis)
How well a patient does depends on the amount of poison swallowed and how quickly treatment was received. The faster a patient gets medical help, the better the chance for recovery.
Damage can continue to occur for several weeks after the tar remover was swallowed. Death may occur as long as a month later.
Reviewed By: Janeen R. Azare, PhD, MSPH, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
