Copper poisoning

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

Determine the following information:

• The patient's age, weight, and condition
• The name of the product (and ingredients and strengths, if known)
• The time it was swallowed
• The amount swallowed

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 U.S. 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.

Take the container with you to the hospital, if possible.

See National Poison Control center.

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

• Medicines to treat symptoms
• Activated charcoal
• A nasogastric (NG) tube thru the nose into the stomach to empty the stomach (gastric lavage)
• Medicine (antidote) to reverse the effect of the poison
• Dialysis

Sudden (acute) copper poisoning is rarely seen. However, serious long-term health problems, including liver failure and death, can occur with significant poisonings.

If toxicity is due to long-time accumulation, the ultimate outcome depends how much damage there is to body organs.

Review Date: 10/23/2006
Reviewed By: Eric Perez, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.