Lifespan's A - Z Health Information Library

This poisoning is from swallowing or breathing in (inhaling) nail polish.

• Toluene
• Butyl acetate
• Ethyl acetate
• Dibutyl phthalate

• Various fingernail polishes

• Bladder and kidney
  • Increased need to urinate
• Eyes, ears, nose, and throat
  • Eye irritation and possible cornea damage
• Lungs
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Slowed breathing rate
  • Shortness of breath
• Gastrointestinal
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Abdominal pain
• Nervous system
  • Drowsiness
  • Coma
  • Stupor
• Whole body
  • Acting as if drunk (intoxicated)

Do not make the person throw up. Seek immediate emergency medical care.

Determine the following information:

• The patient's age, weight, and condition
• The name of the product (ingredients and strengths, if known)
• The time it was swallowed
• The 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 U.S. 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 National Poison Control center.

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

• Medicines to treat symptoms
• A nasogastric (NG) tube thru the nose into the stomach to empty the stomach (gastric lavage)
• Medicines to treat an allergic reaction (diphenhydramine, epinephrine, or prednisone)
• Endoscopy -- the placement of a camera down the throat to see the extent of burns to the esophagus and the stomach
• Irrigation (washing of the skin), perhaps every few hours for several days
• Skin debridement (surgical removal of burned skin)

With any toxic exposure, ingestion, or allergic reaction, recovery and prognosis depend on the how much of the poison was swallowed and how quickly the patient received treatment. Nail polish tends to come in small bottles, so serious poisoning is unlikely if only one bottle was swallowed. However, always seek immediate emergency medical care.

Some people intentionally sniff nail polish to become intoxicated (drunk) by the fumes. Over time these people, as well as those working in poorly ventilated nail salons, can develop a condition known as "painter's syndrome." This is a permanent condition that causes walking problems, speech problems, and memory loss.