Lifespan's A - Z Health Information Library

Solder is used to connect electric wires or other metal parts together. It can cause skin burns, and is extremely harmful if swallowed in large amounts.

• Lead
• Tin
• Zinc
• Mild acids
• Ethylene glycol
• Cadmium
• Bismuth
• Silver
• Antimony
• Cooper

• Solder

Symptoms for lead:

• Muscles and joints
  • Paralysis
  • Muscle aches
  • Fatigue
  • Weakness
  • Joint pain
• Eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and throat
  • Jaundice (eyes appear yellow)
  • Vision problems
  • Metallic taste
• Skin
  • Yellow skin
  • Pale skin
• Gastrointestinal
  • Loss of appetite
  • Weight loss
  • Constipation
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Abdominal pain
  • Excessive thirst
• Heart and blood
  • Low blood pressure
  • High blood pressure
  • Convulsions
  • Collapse
• Nervous system
  • Easily excitable
  • Coma
  • Hallucinations
  • Lack of desire to do anything
  • Irritability
  • Headache
  • Sleeping difficulty
  • Confusion
  • Tremor
  • Twitching
  • Uncoordinated movements
• Bladder and kidneys
  • Kidney damage

Symptoms for tin and zinc chloride:

• Bladder and kidneys
  • Decreased urine output
  • No urine output
• Skin
  • Yellow skin
• Gastrointestinal
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
• Eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and throat
  • Jaundice (eyes appear yellow)
  • Burns in mouth and throat

Symptoms for ethylene glycol:

• Kidney failure
• Disturbance in the acid balance of the blood (can lead to multi-organ failure)

Symptoms for cadmium:

• Itai itai disease (softening of the bones and kidney failure)
• Reduced brain function or intelligence
• Reduced lung function
• Kidney damage

Symptoms for bismuth:

• Gingivitis
• Metalic taste
• Kidney damage
• Diarrhea
• Skin irritation
• Eye irritation

Symptoms for silver:

• Argyria (greyish-black staining of the skin and mucus membranes)
• Argyrosis (deposition of silver in the eyes)

Symptoms for antimony:

• Headache
• Stomach problems
• Dizziness
• Irritation of mucus membranes
• Eczema
• Chemical burns
• Depression

Symptoms for cooper:

• Fever
• Persons with Wilsons disease are especially at risk for poisoning

DO NOT make a person throw up unless told to do so by Poison Control or a health care professional. Seek immediate medical help.

If the chemical is on the skin or in the eyes, flush with lots of water for at least 15 minutes.

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 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:

• Fluids by IV
• Hemodialysis (may be needed for the patient to survive)
• Medicines to treat symptoms
• Activated charcoal
• A nasogastric (NG) tube thru the nose into the stomach to empty the stomach (gastric lavage)
• Endoscopy -- camera down the throat to see burns in the esophagus and the stomach
• Medicine (antidote) to reverse the effect of the poison
• Oxygen
• Breathing tube
• Bronchoscopy -- camera down the throat to see burns in the airways and lungs
• Irrigation (washing of the skin) -- perhaps every few hours for several days
• Skin debridment (surgical removal of burned skin)

How well a patient does depends on the amount of poison swallowed and how quickly treatment was received. Ethylene glycol is extremely poisonous. The faster a patient gets medical help, the better the chance for recovery.

Complete recovery for lead poisoning takes a year or more. Those who do not die may have permanent brain damage.

If the amount of zinc or tin swallowed is low, recovery should take place within approximately 6 hours.

Skin color changes due to silver poisoning are permament.

Long-term poisoning with antimony and cadium may lead to lung cancer.

Recovery from acid poisoning depends on how much tissue has been damaged.