MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Pencil erasers

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Pencil erasers

Contents of this page:
Definition Where Found Symptoms Home Treatment	Before Calling Emergency Poison Control, or a local emergency number What to expect at the emergency room Expectations (prognosis)

Definition

This poisoning is caused by swallowing a pencil eraser.

Where Found

Pencil erasers

Symptoms

May cause some intestinal obstruction, resulting in abdominal pain

Home Treatment

Call Poison Control for further information.

Before Calling Emergency

Determine the following information:

The patient's age, weight, and condition
Name of product (as well as the ingredients and strength, if known)
The time it was swallowed
The amount swallowed

Poison Control, or a local emergency number

They will instruct you if it is necessary to take the patient to the hospital. See Poison Control centers for telephone numbers and addresses. Bring the poison container with you to the emergency room.

What to expect at the emergency room

The symptoms will be treated if the patient is instructed to go to the emergency room.

Expectations (prognosis)

Since pencil erasers are considered relatively nontoxic, recovery is likely.

Update Date: 4/16/2004

Updated by: Cherlin Johnson, M.D., Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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