Ethylene glycol poisoning is quite common. This mainly happens to people who abuse alcoholic beverages, especially in the northern regions of the country. This poisoning is quite dangerous as it can lead to death.
Properties of a chemical compound and its uses
Chemical formula of the compound CH2(OH)2. Physically, ethylene glycol is a colorless liquid that has a sweetish taste and is readily soluble in rubbing alcohol. This substance reacts well with organic acids, as a result of such reactions, volatile esters are formed, which can poison a person when inhaled.
Ethylene glycol is used in the following areas of human activity:
- production of dynamite, which retains working properties at low temperatures;
- manufacture of antifreeze - coolant for a car;
- production of electrolyte for various capacitors;
- manufacture of plastics and cellophane;
- production of paints and solvents for them;
- pharmaceutical and textile industries, as well asperfumery.
Most alcoholics are aware of the composition of antifreeze, which is a mixture of ethylene glycol and ethanol. Many people who are addicted to liquor often use it to extract alcohol. This fact is associated with the bulk of ethylene glycol poisoning. Note that the composition of antifreeze, in addition to these chemicals, includes a variety of additives that enhance the harmful effects of this fluid on the body. Thus, the regular use of antifreeze products leads to loss of vision.
The effect of ethylene glycol on processes in the body
If only 100 ml of this substance enters the human body, then such a dose will be fatal, but, depending on the individual characteristics of the person, even 50 ml may be enough for a person to die quickly.
Ethylene glycol poisoning occurs when a substance is ingested. From the very first minutes, it begins to destroy tissues and individual human cells, the nervous system, kidneys and other organs. The accumulation of ethylene glycol products in the liver leads to disruption of many of its functions. According to forensic medicine, ethylene glycol poisoning causes a violation of all metabolic processes in the body, including oxidative processes, the synthesis of proteins from amino acids, a change in the acidity of the environment in the stomach, which leads to the impossibility of the action of vital reaction accelerators - enzymes.
Main symptoms
After a personingested this or that dose of ethylene glycol, the symptoms of poisoning begin to appear after 2-3 hours or even after 12 hours. In this case, a person may die, being unconscious, which is one of the symptoms of poisoning.
After a couple of hours, the victim shows the following signs of ethylene glycol poisoning:
- appearance of convulsive muscle contractions throughout the body;
- occurrence of hallucinations;
- partial or complete hearing loss;
- coma state.
In this case, cerebral edema develops, which leads to a rapid death.
Poison severity level
Depending on the amount of ethylene glycol that has entered the body, certain harmful processes occur in it. In general, there are three types of poisoning:
- Mild degree is characterized by dizziness, general weakness of the body, nausea and back pain.
- The average degree manifests itself already in the difficulty of independent movement of the victim, impaired visual function, partial loss of consciousness.
- Severe degree leads to complete loss of consciousness, weakening of the pulse, the appearance of convulsions and a high probability of rapid death.
Development of poisoning
Depending on the amount of poison that has entered the body, and on the characteristics of individual metabolism, the following processes occur:
- At high doses, if a person does not die within the first 24 hours, he dies within onemonths due to developing renal failure.
- If the dose of poison was insignificant, then the person will live, but he will forever have chronic diseases of the liver and kidneys, as well as partial damage to the central and peripheral nervous systems. For example, the kidneys excrete ethylene glycol products in the form of crystals, which ultimately leads to the appearance of stones in the urinary system.
Statistics show that 50% of people who get ethylene glycol poisoning die in the first month.
Not only kidney failure occurs when poisoned with this poison, but also violations in the functioning of the lungs, up to their edema, and serious malfunctions in the cardiovascular system. All these processes develop within 72 hours after poisoning. Disorders in the work of the heart can transform into chronic heart failure, which will lead to death of a person in the next 5-6 years.
Poisoning by inhalation of vapors
Ethylene glycol can lead to poisoning of the human body in another way: through inhaled vapors, and also penetrate through the pores of the skin. This situation occurs in the chemical production of this product.
Ethylene glycol vapor poisoning in people associated with its production leads to the following consequences:
- develop diseases of the autonomic nervous system;
- significantly reduced vitality of all body systems, muscle weakness, sluggish and sleepy state, in some casesloss of consciousness may occur;
- changes in the composition of the blood occur, in particular, the number of leukocytes in it decreases, and red blood cells lose their ability to efficiently transfer oxygen;
- sight problems appear, eyes become dryer, conjunctivitis and other diseases of the eyeball develop;
- problems with the respiratory tract (bronchitis, laryngitis and others) appear and worsen;
- disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, leading to nausea, vomiting and severe abdominal pain.
If a person has several of these signs of ethylene glycol poisoning, they should immediately consult a doctor, as he alth is at stake. In addition, for such "harmfulness" the authorities must pay their workers a large amount of money.
Diagnostics
If a person, after ingesting alcohol, which was obtained from non-freezing car fluid, has hallucinations, convulsive muscle contractions, nausea and vomiting, then he should be quickly taken to the hospital, since the ongoing processes are likely signs (clinic) of poisoning ethylene glycol.
The doctor first of all pays attention to the following external changes:
- does the thickness of the veins on the retina increase and does the optic nerve brighten;
- is there no pupil reaction to light exposure;
- is the victim unconscious;
- whether the respiratory rate is increased, whether wheezing appears;
- Is the heartbeat slow and the pulse weak.
If the doctor received positive answers to the above questions during the examination, then serious ethylene glycol poisoning occurs.
In addition to an external examination, a blood test for the content of glucose, ethanol and other chemical compounds may also be required. A blood test is intended to clarify the diagnosis, since many external signs of ethylene glycol poisoning and, for example, formic alcohol are similar.
Treatments
To speed up the removal of poison products from the body, diuretics are prescribed to victims. The best natural remedies that accelerate the removal of fluid from the body are tomato, cucumber and blueberry juices, as well as watermelon. In addition, the patient is advised to drink plenty of water.
Once an accurate diagnosis is established, the treatment for ethylene glycol poisoning is to apply a hemodialysis procedure to the victims. This procedure allows you to remove the decay products of the poison from the kidneys, and is also a necessary prevention for the nervous and cardiovascular systems.
Ethanol is the best antidote
No matter how strange it may sound, but the most reliable antidote for ethylene glycol poisoning is ethyl alcohol, which is offered to a patient with this diagnosis at the rate of 0.1 liter per body weight of 60 kg. The course of treatment with alcohol continues for 5-6 days.
The idea behind using this antidote is that it has similar chemical properties to ethylene glycol, but it is notso poisonous. Ingestion of alcohol helps in the removal of products of a toxic substance due to the substitution reactions taking place in the body.
Note that during the mandatory hemodialysis procedure, the level of ethanol in the blood of the victim is maintained high.
First Aid
It is not always possible to get an injured person to a hospital quickly. In such cases, it is required to independently take the necessary measures and provide first aid. The following activities are most effective:
- It is necessary to induce vomiting and flush the stomach with clean water.
- Since ethylene glycol greatly increases the acidity in the stomach, the victim should be offered to drink a solution of baking soda of absolutely any concentration.
- In the first hours after poisoning, the intake of sorbent substances can absorb a large amount of toxic compounds. The most popular is activated carbon. For greater efficiency, it is recommended to give at least one charcoal tablet per 10 kg of body weight.
- The introduction of glucose into the blood is another measure that can alleviate the condition of the victim. If intravenous glucose is not available, then you can offer the person something sweet to eat.
- The patient should be given complete rest and should also be kept warm, for example by covering with a warm blanket or using a hot heating pad.
