Carbofos poisoning; Compound 4049 poisoning; Cythion poisoning; Fosfothion poisoning; Mercaptothion poisoning

Call poison control for appropriate treatment information. If malathion is on skin, wash area thoroughly for at least 15 minutes.

Discard all contaminated clothing as hazardous waste through the appropriate agencies. Wear protective gloves when touching contaminated clothing.

Determine the following information:

• Patient's age, weight, and condition
• Name of the product (ingredients and strengths, if known)
• Time it was swallowed
• 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 United States 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: Poison control center - emergency number

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

• Breathing help, including artificial respiration
• Fluids through a vein (IV)
• Medicine (antidote) to reverse the effect of the poison
• Tube through the mouth into the stomach to wash out the stomach (gastric lavage) -- if vomiting has not occurred
• Washing of the skin (irrigation) and eyes, perhaps every few hours for several days

Patients who continue to improve over the first 4 to 6 hours (after receiving medical treatment) usually recover. Prolonged treatment often is needed to reverse the poisoning, including intensive care hospitalization and long-term therapy. Some toxicity may persist for weeks or months, or even longer.

Review Date: 08/03/2011
Reviewed By: Eric Perez, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)