Poisonous Ingredient

Mercuric oxide

Where Found

Mercuric oxide may be found in some:

• Button batteries (batteries containing mercury are no longer sold in the United States)
• Disinfectants
• Fungicides

Note: This list may not be all inclusive.

Symptoms

• Abdominal pain (severe)
• Bloody diarrhea
• Decreased urine output (may stop completely)
• Drooling
• Extreme difficulty breathing
• Metallic taste in the mouth
• Mouth sores
• Throat swelling (swelling may cause throat to close)
• Shock
• Vomiting

Home Care

Seek immediate medical help. DO NOT make a person throw up unless told to do so by Poison Control or a health care professional.

Before Calling Emergency

Determine the following information:

• Patient's age, weight, and condition (for example, is the person awake or alert?)
• Name of the product (ingredients and strengths, if known)
• Time it was swallowed
• Amount swallowed

However, DO NOT delay calling for help if this information is not immediately available.

Poison Control

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

The health care provider will measure and monitor the patient's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure. Symptoms will be treated as appropriate. The patient may receive:

• Activated charcoal
• Laxative
• Medicine (antidote) to reverse the effect of the poison
• Endoscopy -- camera down the throat to see burns in the esophagus and the stomach
• Tube through the mouth into the stomach to wash out the stomach (gastric lavage)

Any person who swallowed a battery will need immediate x-rays to make sure the battery is not stuck in the esophagus. Most swallowed batteries that pass through the esophagus will pass out of the body in the stool without complication. However, batteries stuck in the esophagus can cause a hole in the esophagus very quickly. It is very important to seek immediate medical help after a battery is swallowed. For more information see: Button batteries

Outlook (Prognosis)

How well a patient does depends on the amount of poison swallowed and how quickly treatment was received. The faster a patient gets medical help, the better the chance for recovery. Mercuric oxide poisoning can lead to organ failure and death.

References

Goldfrank LR, ed. Goldfrank’s Toxicologic Emergencies. 8th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2006.

Update Date: 2/2/2012

Reviewed by: Eric Perez, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.