What happens if you accidentally swallow hydrogen peroxide

More children getting drunk on hand sanitizer. After encountering numerous ingestion cases over the course of his career, he set out to increase knowledge about peroxide and provide the medical community with answers regarding care for ingestion patients. In the alternative and complementary medicine communities, the ingestion of small amounts of diluted, high-concentration hydrogen peroxide, a form of "hydrogenoxygenation" therapy, has been promoted for a range of uses from cleansing the digestive tract and detoxifying to curing cancer.

However, the effects of the claims have yet to be scientifically proven. More toddlers suffer eye burns from laundry packets, study says. In most cases of exposure in the study, patients swallowed the liquid unknowingly, mistaking it for water. Although high-concentration peroxide is meant to be used by the dropperful, researchers found many instances in which it was stored in a clear vessel in a refrigerator and looked like water.

Unintentional hydrogen peroxide exposure is common. Hatten's study recommends storing high-concentration peroxide in its original container and adding both child-resistant capping and a colorizing agent to head off accidental ingestion. The risks of ingesting high-concentration hydrogen peroxide should not be taken lightly, Hatten said.

After consuming high-concentration peroxide, patients in the study experienced conditions including seizures, altered mental status, respiratory distress, stroke and pulmonary embolism and heart attacks. Even a mouthful or two of concentrated hydrogen peroxide led to critical illness caused by a suspected embolism, a vessel blockage, in Severe long-term outcomes, including continued disability or death, were found in 20 6.

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When the amount of oxygen produced is too high to physically burp out, it can cross over from your gut into your blood vessels, leading to potential complications, such as heart attacks or stroke 3. The severity of complications depends on the volume and concentration of the hydrogen peroxide that was ingested.

However, ingesting larger amounts or higher concentrations of hydrogen peroxide can cause ulcers, a perforated gut, and mouth, throat, and stomach burns. In severe cases, it may result in breathing problems, fainting, and even death 3 , 4.

Food grade hydrogen peroxide is over 10 times more concentrated than the household variety. Drinking hydrogen peroxide can have many side effects, including gut irritation or perforation, breathing problems, and even death. The severity of these effects depends on the quantity and concentration of the hydrogen peroxide consumed. If you have swallowed larger amounts or higher concentrations, seek immediate medical assistance from an emergency room. Plus, doing so is linked to dangerous side effects, including breathing problems, severe gut damage , and in some cases, death.

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