Health Encyclopedia

Refrigerant poisoning

Definition

A refrigerant is a chemical that makes things cold. This article discusses poisoning from sniffing or swallowing such chemicals.

The most common poisoning occurs when people intentionally sniff a type of refrigerant called freon.

Alternative Names

Coolant poisoning; Freon poisoning; Fluorinated hydrocarbon poisoning; Sudden sniffing death syndrome

Poisonous Ingredient

Fluorinated hydrocarbons

Where Found

Various refrigerants
Some fumigants

Note: This list may not be all inclusive.

Symptoms

Lungs
- Breathing difficulty
- 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
Stomach and intestines
- Severe abdominal pain
- Vomiting
- Burns of the esophagus (food pipe)
- Vomiting blood
- Blood in the stool
Heart and blood
- Irregular heart rhythms
- Collapse
Skin
- Irritation
- Burn
- Necrosis (holes) in the skin or underlying tissues

NOTE: Most symptoms result from breathing in the substance.

Home Treatment

Seek immediate emergency medical care. Move the person to fresh air. Be careful to avoid being overcome with the fumes while helping someone else.

Contact Poison Control for further information.

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 or inhaled
The amount swallowed or inhaled

Poison Control, or a local emergency number

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 United States 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: Poison control center - emergency number

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
Tube through the mouth into the stomach to wash out the stomach (gastric lavage)
Endoscopy -- camera down the throat to see burns in 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

Expectations (prognosis)

How well a patient does depends on the severity of the poisoning and how quickly medical help was received.

Severe lung damage may occur. Survival past 72 hours usually means the patient will have a complete recovery.

Sniffing freon is extremely dangerous and can lead to long-term brain damage and sudden death.

Review Date:10/24/2007
Reviewed By:Stephen C. Acosta, M.D., Department of Emergency Medicine, Portland VA Medical Center, Portland, OR. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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