Pencil lead

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Pencil lead

Definition:

This poisoning is caused by ingestion of regular pencil lead.

Alternative Names:

Graphite

Poisonous Ingredient:

Carbon
Graphite

Where Found:

Regular pencils

Note: This list may not be all inclusive.

Symptoms:

Gastrointestinal
- Stomach ache
- Vomiting

Note: There may be no symptoms.

Home Treatment:

Graphite is relatively nontoxic. Contact Poison Control for further information.

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 person to the hospital. If it is necessary, bring a pencil sample with you to the emergency room.

What to expect at the emergency room:

Some or all of the following procedures may be performed on the patient:

Observe the patient.
Treat the symptoms.

Expectations (prognosis):

Since this chemical is normally nontoxic, recovery is likely.

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