Health Encyclopedia

Watercolors

Definition

Watercolor ingestion occurs when someone accidentally or intentionally eats or swallows watercolor paints.

Alternative Names

Paint - watercolors

Poisonous Ingredient

Man-made or natural pigments (especially cadmium and cobalt)
Gum arabic

Note: Watercolor paints sold for home use are generally considered nonpoisonous.

Where Found

Various watercolor paints and paint kits

Note: This list does not include all products containing watercolors.

Symptoms

Several tubes of the artist's watercolors need to be eaten before symptoms occur.

Home Treatment

Do NOT make a person throw up unless told to do so by Poison Control or a health care professional.

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.

Use soap and water to wash any paint off skin and clothes.

Before Calling Emergency

Determine the following information:

Patient's age, weight, and condition
Name of the product (ingredients and strength, if known)
Time it was swallowed
Amount swallowed

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.

See: Poison control center - emergency number

What to expect at the emergency room

A trip to the emergency room is normally not necessary.

However, if the poisoning requires medical help, the health care provider will measure and monitor your vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure. Symptoms will be treated as appropriate. You may receive:

Activated charcoal
Breathing assistance
Fluids
Laxative
Tube through the mouth into the stomach to wash out the stomach (gastric lavage)

Expectations (prognosis)

How well you do depends on the amount of poison swallowed and how quickly treatment is received. The faster you get medical help, the better the chance for recovery.

Recovery is likely because watercolor paints are generally considered nonpoisonous.

Review Date:2/27/2008
Reviewed By:Stephen C. Acosta, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, Portland VA Medical Center, Portland, OR. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

ADAM Quality A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial process. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com) and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

The Agency for Health Care Administration (Agency) and this website do not claim the information on, or referred to by, this site is error free. This site may include links to websites of other government agencies or private groups. Our Agency and this website do not control such sites and are not responsible for their content. Reference to or links to any other group, product, service, or information does not mean our Agency or this website approves of that group, product, service, or information.

Additionally, while health information provided through this website may be a valuable resource for the public, it is not designed to offer medical advice. Talk with your doctor about medical care questions you may have.