Why isn’t it recommended to provoke vomit when ingesting some harmful chemicals?
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The substance ingested could cause more damage on the way back up than simply letting it pass through.
Sometimes the damage they can do on the way back out is also significant. In some cases once they’re back in the throat then the fumes are more likely to be inhaled. Get an ambulance ASAP and stay on the line with emergency services as things can change very fast.
Basically, your stomach is a harsh environment and so is able to handle acid, caustic agents like bleach, and other toxins that work by physically damaging your tissue much better than things the toxin might encounter on its way back up, like your throat, sinuses or lungs if you accidentally inhale.
Most dangerous substances people keep around the house, like cleaning agents and detergents, contain corrosive chemicals like bleach or sodium hydroxide, so you end up seeing that warning more often than not
Depends on the chemicals – but in general you don’t want anything nasty to get a **second chance** at damaging your throat/upper esophagus. Ingesting some poison or damaging your stomach lining is surely dangerous, but not being able to *breathe* is universally lethal.
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Many chemicals react with the lining of your throat. So throwing them up would reexpose that tissue. Other chemicals react with your stomach acid to produce something more damaging. Luckily the mucus lining of the stomach tends to be pretty resistant. So letting it sit there until their stomach can be pumped is the least harmful option.
the real solution is generally a neutralizing agent or pumping the stomach. until then, your throat is more important than your stomach because it’s also your airway.
Lots of people have mentioned that more damage can be done going through the throat/oesophagi again. There is also the risk of aspiration(inhaling) when vomiting. So if you’ve ingested something that causes damage to the oesophagi so, imagine the damage it will do to your lungs, even if you only inhale a small amount. A large amount of anything and your screwed in general too.
Even if the substance isn’t corrosive, such as might occur in an overdose, the drugs and vomit will trigger inflammation in the lungs regardless.
It’s for these reasons that getting someone to a&e quickly is important. For some giving activated charcoal is helpful (it absorbs some substances while they are in the stomach and prevent them being absorbed). In some cases you can do a stomach pump (tube passed with through mouth or occasionally nose into the stomach and the substance removed that way). It stops contact with the oesophagus and throat lining and giving a direct line out of the mouth, reducing the risk of aspiration. But it does risk vomiting when I setting the tube and is not often used in reality.
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