Window cleaner

Definition:

Poisoning from an ingestion of window cleaner.

Poisonous Ingredient:

Most newer window cleaners are considered non-toxic. Older window cleaners may contain ammonia, ethanol, methanol, or isopropyl alcohol.

Where Found:

Some window cleaners

Symptoms:

Note: Most symptoms are seen in older window cleaners containing the toxic ingredients listed above.

Respiratory
- 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
- 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
Neurologic
- Sleepiness
- Stupor
- Coma
- Severe brain damage

Home Treatment:

Seek emergency medical care immediately. Call Poison Control. DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING UNLESS INSTRUCTED TO DO SO BY POISON CONTROL.

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, or a local emergency number:

They will instruct you if it is necessary to take the patient to the hospital. See Poison Control Centers for telephone numbers and addresses. Take the container with you to the emergency room.

What to expect at the emergency room:

Some or all of the following procedures may be performed:

For swallowed poison
- Placement of a tube down the nose and into the stomach (a nasogastric tube, or an NG tube) to wash out the stomach
- Activated charcoal administration
- Endoscopy -- the placement of a camera down the throat to see the extent of burns to the esophagus and the stomach
- Give IV fluids
- Admission to the hospital
- Give an antidote
- Treat the symptoms
For inhaled poisons
- A breathing tube may need to be inserted
- Oxygen
- Admission to the hospital or to the intensive care unit
- Bronchoscopy (inserting a camera down the throat into the airway to evaluate the extent of burns to the airway and lungs)
For skin exposure
- Irrigation (washing of the skin), perhaps every few hours for several days
- Skin debridement (surgical removal of burned skin)
- Admission or transfer to a hospital that specializes in burn care

Expectations (prognosis):

Prognosis and recovery depend on the type of substance actually ingested. If patient survives the first 72 hours, complete recovery is very likely.

Review Date: 2/25/2002
Reviewed By: Kevin G. Wheeler, M.D., Department of Emergency Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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