Naphthalene

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Naphthalene

Definition:

Poisoning from an overdose of naphthalene.

Alternative Names:

Moth balls; Moth flakes; Camphor tar

Poisonous Ingredient:

Naphthalene

Where Found:

Moth repellent
Toilet bowl deodorizers

Symptoms:

Body as a whole
- Pain when urinating
- Low urine output (may stop completely)
- Hematuria (blood in the urine)
- Convulsions
Respiratory
- Shortness of breath
Cardiovascular
- Tachycardia (increased heart rate)
- Hypotension (low blood pressure)
Eyes, ears, nose, and throat
- Yellow eyes
Skin
- Yellow skin
Gastrointestinal
Nervous system

Before Calling Emergency:

Determine the following information:

the patient's age, weight, and condition
name of 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:

Induce emesis
Use gastric lavage
Treat the symptoms

Expectations (prognosis):

If there is a rapid deterioration of the patient's condition, progressing to convulsions and coma, the outlook for recovery is grim. If recovery occurs, it may take several weeks or longer to overcome some of the toxic effects.

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