Algorithm for Management of a Household Cleaning Product Ingestion

Management of a household cleaning product ingestion (soap, detergent, bleach, etc.) depends on the chemical nature of the product.

NOTE: This does not cover ingestion of a solvent-based cleaning solution.

Steps:

(1) Immediately dilute ingested material and irrigate exposed surfaces.

(2) Determine nature of cleaning product ingested.

(3) Treat based on product ingested.

Product	Additional Information	Management
soap		observe for symptoms
anionic (negatively charged) or nonionic detergent		observe for symptoms
cationic (positively charged) detergent; quarternary ammonium compound	nontoxic amount	observe for symptoms
cationic (positively charged) detergent; quarternary ammonium compound	potentially toxic amount	emesis or lavage
bleaching agent, hypochlorite solution	household product (<= 5%)	observe for symptoms
bleaching agent, hypochlorite solution	industrial strength (> 5%)	treat as possible corrosive
ammonia-containing product	household product (<= 5%)	observe for symptoms
ammonia-containing product	industrial strength (> 5%)	treat as possible corrosive
strong acid or base (caustic corrosive)		treat as possible corrosive

To read more or access our algorithms and calculators, please log in or register.