Hydrogen peroxide, or peroxide, is a liquid drug that has antiseptic and hemostatic properties, which is used for external treatment of wounds, scratches, cuts, bites. In the article, we will take a closer look at what happens if you take hydrogen peroxide inside, as well as for what purposes peroxide is used.

The use of hydrogen peroxide

This medicine is used as:

• Antiseptic solution for treating open wounds;

• Deodorant;
• Hemostatic topical agent.

In traditional medicine, hydrogen peroxide is used only externally. The foam that forms after liquid enters the damaged area easily draws out pus and dead skin particles. As a result, the wound heals faster, and the inflammatory processes stop. However, adherents of non-traditional methods argue that if you drink the solution, following a certain pattern, you can get rid of a number of diseases.

To understand the consequences of taking the product inside, it is important to know that peroxide is available in solutions of different concentrations. Pharmacies sell 3% liquid. However, peroxide is also 30%. It is important to note that the more concentrated the product, the more likely it is to get severe burns.

Taking hydrogen peroxide by mouth

If a person decides to take a sip of hydrogen peroxide in its pure form, burns will appear on the mucous membrane of the mouth, esophagus and even stomach. For some, peroxide in a diluted form can provoke swelling of the respiratory system, which, if first aid is not provided in time, can cause suffocation and death.

• Vomit;
• dizziness, headaches;
• Violation of consciousness;

• Problems with coordination.

If peroxide is swallowed by a child

Keep dangerous drugs out of the reach of children. It is important to remember that peroxide is the strongest alkali, which, once inside, breaks down into two components:

• Water.

Immediately after this, the mucous tissues of the digestive organs begin to rapidly collapse. The opinion that peroxide saturates tissues with oxygen is erroneous. The drug causes gas embolism of blood vessels, which causes severe, sometimes fatal consequences. Gas bubbles, once in the blood, contribute to blockage of the vessels of such vital organs as:

• kidneys;
• Lungs;
• Liver;
• Brain.

Due to a violation of vascular circulation, irreversible tissue necrosis occurs, a person dies.

First aid for peroxide poisoning

Symptoms of hydrogen peroxide poisoning:

• Acute pain in the abdomen and esophagus;
• Nausea, vomiting;

• Violation of general well-being.

In such situations, the main thing is not to get confused and try to properly provide first aid to the victim. To neutralize the effect of peroxide, it is necessary to give the victim a couple of sips of cold milk, or ordinary cool drinking water. The liquid will help to “knock down” the resulting foam and prevent dangerous consequences.

The most expensive women's and men's perfume in the world

If a child or an adult drank a lot of concentrated peroxide, the stomach should be washed out as soon as possible, freeing it from a dangerous liquid. To do this, you need to make the victim drink as much cool clean water as possible, and then provoke a gag reflex. After the liquid comes out, it is worth giving the victim activated charcoal or another sorbent. If you cannot swallow the drug, you can grind it to a powder, dilute it in water and then take it.

Hydrogen peroxide is one of those substances that can be found in almost every home. This liquid, without a specific taste and smell, is extremely reminiscent of water, because it is not for nothing that their chemical formulas differ from each other only by an oxygen atom. But at the same time, it has a bunch of both useful and dangerous properties that water does not have.

Features of the use of hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide - what is it for?

Despite such a wide distribution of hydrogen peroxide in the first-aid kits of our compatriots, not everyone represents the full breadth of its spectrum of action. With all the benefits often remain as little known as the harm. So what can this liquid be used for and is it possible to drink hydrogen peroxide?

The most popular use of peroxide is as a disinfectant.. Perhaps today it is the most common household antiseptic in our country, familiar to everyone since childhood. It is used both for the disinfection of wounds, and bandages or medical instruments. Also, a 3% solution is used to treat throat diseases, rinsing it with it.

As has been shown by many well-known physicians, the effect of a substance on the human body can be quite significant. And in general, the list of useful properties is impressive in its breadth:

1. One of the best oxidants to date, which allows you to quickly and effectively destroy many types of dangerous infections and bacteria.
2. May help improve metabolism.
3. Helps in regulating the condition of the stomach and intestines.
4. It allows you to quickly saturate the blood with oxygen.
5. Helps accelerate the healing of damaged tissues.
6. Helps in rapid blood clotting and stop bleeding.
7. It is excreted from the body at a high rate, which eliminates accumulation.

But household and medical use of peroxide is only a part of the areas where it is used. This liquid is also appreciated in the industry. It is one of the most important components of fabric bleaches: its benefit is that it does not damage the fabrics. Peroxide bleaching agents, known to almost every woman, are widely used in the cosmetic industry.

It is indispensable in metallurgy, pulp and paper and polymer industries. Even the food industry does not disdain it: you may have already taken hydrogen peroxide inside, because it is sometimes added to wine in very small quantities.

But the latter does not mean that hydrogen peroxide can be drunk. The consumption of a household solution of this substance, together with the inhalation of concentrated vapors, is one of the most common causes of serious poisoning. If a person accidentally swallowed a liquid, then he may be faced with the need for urgent medical attention. But more on that below.

Hydrogen peroxide: what is dangerous?

Hydrogen peroxide belongs to the category of environmentally friendly substances, but this does not mean that it is completely safe for the body and it has only benefits. She also has harm.

The greatest danger to humans is concentrated solutions of the substance (30 percent or more), but it is usually found with them in industrial production. At this concentration, it easily causes a chemical burn.

But it is not in vain that on packages with a solution that you can buy in pharmacies, they warn that it is only for external use. Drinking a 3-5% solution is not worth it, since its regular use will lead to chemical burns of the most sensitive part of the internal organs - the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, the use of a substance will deprive not only harmful, but also beneficial intestinal microflora.

Regular use of peroxide inside entails:

Don't drink hydrogen peroxide

• poisoning;
• damage to the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract;
• when released into the blood - thrombosis.

Any use of peroxide, except as an antiseptic, is possible only under the strict supervision of a physician.

Can you drink hydrogen peroxide during pregnancy?

Naturally, all of the above regarding the use of peroxide for drinking also applies to pregnant women. True, many are concerned about the question, what will happen if you drink hydrogen peroxide accidentally and in small quantities? Will it harm the baby? As a small single dose, ingestion of peroxide is allowed and is not dangerous for either the expectant mother or the child.

The child drank hydrogen peroxide, what should I do?

Most often, children drink hydrogen peroxide - they are prompted by both natural curiosity and the fact that the liquid has no smell, it is generally similar to ordinary water. Swallowed or licked, and no one seems to notice.

Call the doctor if the child drank hydrogen peroxide

If a child drank an ordinary household peroxide solution (up to 9%) inside, then most likely he will face ordinary poisoning, the symptoms of which occur almost immediately. Having discovered what happened, you should immediately call a doctor and wash the stomach.

The algorithm of actions is in general the same as when an adult is poisoned, except that children are weaker and they need to act more quickly.

Hydrogen Peroxide: Poisoning

The list of symptoms in case of poisoning due to ingestion of this substance is quite typical and many of them are found in other poisonings:

Cough is a symptom of hydrogen peroxide poisoning

• vomiting, nausea and abdominal pain;
• pain in the mouth;
• swelling of the nasal mucosa;
• skin redness;
• difficulty breathing, cough

But others can be added to them:

• chest pain;
• increased cough;
• blue skin;
• rapid pulse and pain in the heart;
• loss of consciousness.

Severe hydrogen peroxide poisoning

The latter indicate that a gas embolism has occurred. It happens due to the fact that once in the body, hydrogen peroxide breaks down quite quickly into its components - water and air. As a result, gas bubbles traveling through the body can clog blood vessels.

In addition, when using peroxide, various side effects associated with the individual characteristics of the body can be observed. The most common are:

• skin rashes;
• diarrhea;
• drowsiness and feeling tired;
• rare cough and mild inflammation of the nasal mucosa;
• nausea.

These symptoms do not necessarily mean poisoning with the solution, but may require the attention of a doctor. Therefore, if you have them, think well: is it right that I drink peroxide, and do I have indications for use?

Help with poisoning

As noted above, first aid for peroxide poisoning differs little from it for most other poisonings, which can be provided before the arrival of a doctor (whose call is mandatory!). The list of actions that you need to perform when you find characteristic symptoms is as follows:

Gastric lavage for hydrogen peroxide poisoning

1. To neutralize the dose taken, flush the stomach with as much clean water as possible.
2. Induce vomiting and drink plenty of activated charcoal to further reduce harm.
3. Also a good adjuvant is a laxative.
4. Found on the surface of the skin burns thoroughly rinse with water.
5. Provide the patient with access to fresh air, if necessary, loosen tight clothing.

Full treatment is possible only with the use of medicines in a hospital.

It is worth noting that hydrogen peroxide can be forced to neutralize with the help of light, since under its influence it decomposes. Also use plain water. Since it is considered a rapidly decomposing substance with rather weak acidic properties, special neutralizing preparations are not used.

Consequences of poisoning for the body

Gas embolism - serious consequences of peroxide poisoning

The most dangerous effect of peroxide poisoning on the human body is the possible development of a gas embolism. It can even cause death. In addition, problems with the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract can also be quite long. Violation of the nasal mucosa can lead to unwanted pathologies.

Household peroxide poisoning is not so common. But the wide distribution of the substance means that everyone needs to know what to do if it does happen.

Video about the benefits of hydrogen peroxide

The useful side of this drug attracts many fans of traditional medicine. The uses for hydrogen peroxide go far beyond conventional wound care. Below is a video about some of the features of the solution when ingested:

In the last 5 years, the number of household poisonings of children with hydrogen peroxide has increased to 80%. This is due to the fact that today on the Internet there are a lot of recipes for using the product not only for its intended purpose - externally for cleaning wound surfaces of the skin from pathogenic microorganisms, but also for washing clothes, washing plumbing, and cleaning tiles.

Moreover, in bookstores there are huge shelves with literature of home-grown writers - healers who promote internal use in order to cure all diseases (including cancer, AIDS, other serious pathologies). In fact, oral, parenteral use of peroxide is life-threatening, no matter what concentration it is. What happens if you drink hydrogen peroxide, what are the consequences, and how to avoid burning the mucous membranes of the esophagus?

When to Use Hydrogen Peroxide

Where can you find peroxide, perhydrol today, and why do poisonings occur?

Hydrogen peroxide offered by pharmacies is usually 3% concentration. The liquid is an oxidizing agent that prevents infection of the skin epithelium with pathogens in cases where a person is injured.

1. The use of hydrogen peroxide is recommended to stop bleeding, eliminate suppuration, stop the inflammatory processes of the epithelium.
2. Hairdressing salons may use more concentrated solutions (30%) to lighten the strands of hair on the head.
3. In cosmetology - for bleaching also black hairs on the legs, face, as well as whitening teeth.
4. In everyday life, hydrogen peroxide solutions are used to restore the whiteness of cotton fabrics. They are part of various oxygen bleaching liquids, pastes, powders.
5. Home winemakers use the liquid to artificially age wine.

Almost all strong and weak solutions are colorless and do not have a specific pungent odor (a slight taste of metal is felt), so if a child drank hydrogen peroxide suddenly, parents in the first (especially valuable minutes for treatment) may not know about the impending disaster. Meanwhile, even a 3% peroxide solution is dangerous for large-scale burns of the mucous membranes of each part of the digestive tract.

What happens when peroxide is ingested?

All poisonings occur due to gross negligence in the storage and use of peroxide, in order to avoid trouble, you should not leave the remedy within the reach of children, as well as elderly and sick people suffering from partial (complete) loss of concentration, memory.

Low peroxide burns

As soon as 3% (9%) peroxide comes into contact with the tissues of the mucous membranes of the mouth and larynx, a violent chemical reaction of decomposition (oxidation) immediately occurs, accompanied by oxygen release. In this case, the cell membranes are destroyed, burns occur, characterized by the following symptoms:

• sore pain in the mouth, larynx, esophagus;
• urge to vomit, nausea, sensation of a foreign body;
• difficulty breathing;
• swelling, redness (whitening with blisters) of mucous membranes;
• pain in the stomach.

If the child drank only a sip - what to do? Help must be provided immediately, otherwise there is an active development of a chemical reaction with the formation of water and atomic oxygen. At the same time, its bubbles are able to penetrate into the capillaries, blood vessels, spread throughout the body, clogging them, which leads to the development of a gas embolism.

In addition, peroxide can provoke dangerous allergic reactions: anaphylactic shock and Quincke's edema. In such cases, every second is precious to save people. Call a doctor right away if children (and adults too) accidentally drink hydrogen peroxide.

The harm of internal use of a saturated solution

If you drink high concentration hydrogen peroxide, a severe burn of the digestive tract and nasopharynx immediately develops. The person will show the following symptoms:

• inability to swallow, breathe, cough,
• chest pain,
• blanching (blue) of the skin,
• large vesicles on the mucous membranes of the mouth, throat,
• increase (decrease in frequency) of the pulse.

With severe poisoning, a person loses consciousness due to hypoxia of brain tissues, convulsions, convulsions are observed. Only urgent medical assistance can save him from death or disability.

Terrible consequences of using solutions for other purposes

What can happen if you violate the instructions?

1. Uncontrolled use of peroxide for teeth whitening leads to destruction of gums, enamel and bone tissue, resulting in premature loss due to diseases.
2. Lightening of the strands ends with the destruction of the structure of the hair follicles and rods, which leads to baldness, burns of the scalp.
3. Making wine using unacceptable technologies (with the addition of perhydrol) will cause food poisoning, damage to the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract and ENT organs.
4. With irresponsible storage, a child (grandmother) can drink peroxide instead of water, even the minimum concentration of the solution will harm the weak body, causing burns to the nasal cavity, mouth, larynx, and stomach.

Therefore, each bottle (packaging of tablets, powder) is provided with a noticeable marking with the obligatory indication - for external use, that is, only a weak concentration of the solution is permissible exclusively on the skin in case of epithelial injuries.

Urgent measures to eliminate the consequences of peroxide poisoning

What should be done to save health if you drink hydrogen peroxide at home? How to prevent the terrible consequences of poisoning, relieve pain syndromes:

• call an ambulance without delay, tell quickly but in detail what happened;
• carefully listen to the advice of the doctor on duty - the dispatcher of the "Ambulance", how to empty the stomach of the victim;
• start filling the patient's stomach with a large volume of water to maximize the dilution of the concentration of hydrogen peroxide;
• after spontaneous vomiting (it is impossible to cause artificial vomiting), give water to drink again (two), until the mucous membranes are maximally cleared;
• then a person needs to be given to eat activated charcoal tablets, or enterosorbents are not prescribed;
• on the recommendation of a doctor, you can use a laxative with salt.

All further treatments, if you drink hydrogen peroxide, are carried out exclusively in the hospital under the supervision of doctors.

Independent use of folk methods of treating diseases with hydrogen peroxide can cause unpredictable dangerous harm. Even if there is no development of a severe gas embolism, children who have drunk quite a bit of hydrogen peroxide, due to improper treatment of a severe burn of the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract, may remain disabled for a long time due to the formation of ulceration, replacement of the mucous tissues of the respiratory, digestive organs of the body with cicatricial ones, which leads to irreversible obstruction.

Hydrogen peroxide has long been used for disinfection and bleaching. It is often bought for a home first aid kit, because it is an affordable antiseptic, which has a very wide range of applications. But is peroxide allowed in the treatment of children and what precautions should be taken so that it does not harm the child?

Release form and composition

Hydrogen peroxide is a colorless, odorless, transparent liquid that is soluble in water and alcohol. It is produced by many pharmaceutical companies in the form of a 3% solution placed in glass or polyethylene bottles in different volumes.

The main component of such a solution is hydrogen peroxide (its chemical formula is n2o2). Its amount per 100 ml of liquid is 7.5-11 grams. The preparation contains sodium benzoate and purified water as auxiliary ingredients.

Operating principle

When hydrogen peroxide comes into contact with the skin or mucous membranes, reactive oxygen species begin to be released, and the surface is simultaneously mechanically cleaned. Treatment with such a solution removes exudate, blood, protein molecules and other organic compounds, as well as microorganisms from the damaged mucosa or skin.

The resulting foam when applying peroxide helps the appearance of blood clots in the capillaries, which stops or prevents bleeding from small vessels.

Professor Neumyvakin has long been studying the effect of hydrogen peroxide on the human body in various diseases. He confirmed not only the antiseptic effect of this medication, but also its properties. destroy bacteria, viruses and some fungi. According to his method, today such a drug is used to treat the common cold, sinusitis, and inflammation of the ear.

Indications

Hydrogen peroxide is used:

• for the treatment of small superficial skin lesions (scratches, cuts, abrasions);
• to stop capillary bleeding from damaged skin, as well as nosebleeds;
• for cleaning the ear canals from accumulated sulfur and plugs, as well as for the treatment of otitis externa;
• for the treatment of vesicles with chickenpox, in order to prevent their infection;
• for the treatment of the oral mucosa with stomatitis or other injuries;
• for gargling with pharyngitis, sore throat or laryngitis.

At what age are they prescribed?

Treatment with hydrogen peroxide is allowed at any age, but for babies under 3 years old, it is undesirable to drip such a solution into the ear or nose. If you need to inject medication into the auricle for such small patients, use turundas.

Contraindications

The drug is prohibited only with its individual intolerance. However, mucous membranes should not be treated with an undiluted solution. Moreover, it is unacceptable to drip peroxide into the ear if there is a puncture of the eardrum, as well as with internal otitis media.

If a child has pathologies of the kidneys, thyroid gland or liver, the use of peroxide should be consulted with a doctor.

Side effects

The solution can occasionally cause an allergic reaction. Upon contact of the drug with mucous membranes, a tingling and burning sensation appears, and edema may also develop. If peroxide gets into the eyes, immediately rinse them with plenty of water, and then show the child to a doctor.

Instructions for use

For external treatment, hydrogen peroxide can be used undiluted (3% solution) or after dilution with clean water to a 1-2% solution. The medication is moistened with a gauze or cotton swab, after which the skin is wiped. You can also irrigate the wound surface directly from the bottle.

If the child is assigned to gargle, the peroxide is first diluted with boiled water, which should be warm. The recommended concentration of the solution to treat any mucous membrane is 0.25% (11 parts of water are added to 1 part of a 3% solution).

You can gargle with diluted hydrogen peroxide up to 4 times a day with an interval of at least three hours.

If you are going to clean your ears with peroxide, then the solution is applied to a cotton swab (often the drug is diluted 1 to 1 with boiled water), which is inserted into the ear canal. After 5 minutes, the swab is removed, and the ear is wiped with a cotton swab or dry cotton.

In the presence of traffic jams, heated peroxide should be dripped into the ear in the amount prescribed by the doctor and left for 10 minutes. Then the head is turned and the excess liquid is wiped off. The procedure is carried out up to 6 times a day for several days, after which you need to go to the ENT doctor to remove the softened cork.

Washing the nose with hydrogen peroxide according to Neumyvakin involves instilling a few drops of diluted medicine into each nasal passage and blowing it out after 5 minutes.

In addition, the professor recommends rubbing the chest area, armpits and folds of the arms with peroxide. For this treatment, the solution is half diluted with warm water. After the manipulation, you need to put on clean cotton clothes on the child and ask him to lie down a little calmly.

Overdose

External use of peroxide is not capable of leading to an overdose. A negative effect can only be when the solution gets inside.

Terms of sale and storage

Hydrogen peroxide is an over-the-counter medication and is sold in all pharmacies. Its price depends on the volume of the solution in the bottle and the manufacturer, but it is low.

The shelf life of peroxide is usually 2 years from the date of manufacture. The optimum storage temperature of the medicine is not higher than +25 degrees.

Because the solution is clear and has no strong odor, which makes it look like water, it's important to keep the peroxide out of the reach of babies.

What to do if the child drank the drug:

• seek immediate medical attention;
• give the child plenty to drink;
• provoke vomiting so that the swallowed medicine leaves the stomach;
• give the baby a sorbent, for example, a few activated charcoal tablets.

Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical that must be handled very carefully, and today the portal will tell its readers about some of the features of this drug. Despite the fact that it should be "at hand", it is better to store it out of the reach of children.

Once on the face or in the eyes, peroxide causes a strong burning sensation, tingling, and edema may subsequently occur. After contact, flush eyes with water and seek qualified medical attention.

Hydrogen peroxide has a very wide range of applications. Because it has not only good antiseptic properties, but also whitening. It is used in the manufacture of textiles and paper, as well as in the manufacture of household chemicals in the form of bleaches and other disinfectants.

Perhaps, in every house there is a certain amount of medicines (tablets, ointments, syrups, etc.), but not everyone knows how to properly store certain medicines. It is very good when there is a first aid kit in the house, and each family member knows about its location. It is also advisable to store some types of medicines in the refrigerator, but this should not be a permanent place for their deployment. Because the refrigerator is freely available, which is primarily dangerous for children.

What to do if the child drank hydrogen peroxide?

In the event that a child has swallowed a certain amount of hydrogen peroxide, do not neglect to call an ambulance, since the consequences of its contact with the mucous membrane and passage through the gastrointestinal tract can be very different. When it enters the oral cavity, you can feel tingling, then a small amount of foam is formed, if it enters the esophagus, burns, swelling, and pain may occur. After all, even if a small amount of peroxide gets on the skin, despite its non-toxicity, burns of varying degrees occur, which depends on the concentration of the solution. 50-100 ml of hydrogen peroxide solution containing 30% perhydrol is enough for this dose to become lethal for a person if it enters the stomach.

To prevent all of the above cases, you need to follow a few simple rules that can later save the life of you and your children. First of all, you do not need to store a solution of hydrogen peroxide over 3% at home. If you have a jar of peroxide at home, make sure that it has a sticker on it, or an inscription, do not store it in transparent bottles. And in no case should you mix the peroxide solution with any other solutions other than water.

In appearance, hydrogen peroxide is similar to water, the absence of any smell and taste is also a danger. Despite its antiseptic properties, it is still a chemical and should be handled accordingly.