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?

1.36K views

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

78 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

^^this. And also why you hear of people getting their stomach pumped after ingesting something they shouldn’t have. The pumping prevents the reintroduction of whatever the substance is to the tissues of your esophagus and eliminates risk of it entering the lungs

Anonymous 0 Comments

WD40 stands for water displacement formula 40.

It is a common lubricant and rust remover that repels rust by repelling oxygen.

If ingested, it can be a mild irritant or in some cases even fatal.

If enough of it sits in your stomach, it will become aerosolized and start entering your lungs. If your lungs fill up with oxygen repelling vapors, you will suffocate.

But if you don’t have enough in your stomach to harm you, it is only a mild irritant.

If you have enough in your stomach to irritate you and induce vomiting unnecessarily, some of that vomit can get into your lungs. It is possible that this contamination from a non lethal amount of WD 40 could kill you if you induce vomiting.

This is on example of why some chemicals are more safe in your stomach than they are to induce vomiting to remove. This is my favorite example because it can go either way depending on the exposure level.

If a chemical is unsafe to digest but significantly more risky to induce vomiting, or if you just can’t allow any of the chemical to remain, hospitals can pump out the stomach while they flush it out with neutralizing fluids.

Anonymous 0 Comments

WD40 stands for water displacement formula 40.

It is a common lubricant and rust remover that repels rust by repelling oxygen.

If ingested, it can be a mild irritant or in some cases even fatal.

If enough of it sits in your stomach, it will become aerosolized and start entering your lungs. If your lungs fill up with oxygen repelling vapors, you will suffocate.

But if you don’t have enough in your stomach to harm you, it is only a mild irritant.

If you have enough in your stomach to irritate you and induce vomiting unnecessarily, some of that vomit can get into your lungs. It is possible that this contamination from a non lethal amount of WD 40 could kill you if you induce vomiting.

This is on example of why some chemicals are more safe in your stomach than they are to induce vomiting to remove. This is my favorite example because it can go either way depending on the exposure level.

If a chemical is unsafe to digest but significantly more risky to induce vomiting, or if you just can’t allow any of the chemical to remain, hospitals can pump out the stomach while they flush it out with neutralizing fluids.

Anonymous 0 Comments

WD40 stands for water displacement formula 40.

It is a common lubricant and rust remover that repels rust by repelling oxygen.

If ingested, it can be a mild irritant or in some cases even fatal.

If enough of it sits in your stomach, it will become aerosolized and start entering your lungs. If your lungs fill up with oxygen repelling vapors, you will suffocate.

But if you don’t have enough in your stomach to harm you, it is only a mild irritant.

If you have enough in your stomach to irritate you and induce vomiting unnecessarily, some of that vomit can get into your lungs. It is possible that this contamination from a non lethal amount of WD 40 could kill you if you induce vomiting.

This is on example of why some chemicals are more safe in your stomach than they are to induce vomiting to remove. This is my favorite example because it can go either way depending on the exposure level.

If a chemical is unsafe to digest but significantly more risky to induce vomiting, or if you just can’t allow any of the chemical to remain, hospitals can pump out the stomach while they flush it out with neutralizing fluids.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Could you not theoretically ingest the opposite to neutralize the acid and then induce vomiting?

Anonymous 0 Comments

Could you not theoretically ingest the opposite to neutralize the acid and then induce vomiting?

Anonymous 0 Comments

Could you not theoretically ingest the opposite to neutralize the acid and then induce vomiting?

Anonymous 0 Comments

If you ingest something that can hurt you on the way down, you don’t want it to repeat that journey. This is most often a concern with caustic substances and acids. You don’t want them to burn your throat and possibly lungs.

Anonymous 0 Comments

If you ingest something that can hurt you on the way down, you don’t want it to repeat that journey. This is most often a concern with caustic substances and acids. You don’t want them to burn your throat and possibly lungs.

Anonymous 0 Comments

If you ingest something that can hurt you on the way down, you don’t want it to repeat that journey. This is most often a concern with caustic substances and acids. You don’t want them to burn your throat and possibly lungs.