eli5: On the packaging of toilet cleaner and an article on mouthwash says that if ingested, do not induce vomitting, why is this? Wouldn’t it be better to get rid of as much of the harmful liquid as possible? What harm can happen if vomitting is induced?

Question

eli5: On the packaging of toilet cleaner and an article on mouthwash says that if ingested, do not induce vomitting, why is this? Wouldn’t it be better to get rid of as much of the harmful liquid as possible? What harm can happen if vomitting is induced?

In: 1821

Answer 1

The one thing not being touched on is “poisonous” versus “caustic”. Poisons are dangerous if they’re inside the body, absorbed and passed around. Caustics are dangerous to the outside of the body also; they’ll burn your skin and your mouth and your throat. You do not usually want to vomit up caustics, because you’ve already burned your throat once and will burn it again. Your stomach is full of acid; your intestine, full of buffers and mild alkaline. If you swallow an acid or a base, your gut will eventually neutralize it. If you swallow a poison, like mushrooms or someone else’s medication, you might need to vomit that up.