MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Chalk

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Chalk

Contents of this page:
Definition Poisonous Ingredient 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

Poisoning from an ingestion of chalk.

Poisonous Ingredient

Chalk is generally considered to be non-toxic.

Where Found

Chalk

Note: This list may not be all inclusive.

Symptoms

Gastrointestinal
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
Eye irritation

Home Treatment

For any toxic ingestion or allergic reaction, seek emergency medical care immediately. Wash any chalk from the skin or eyes. Call Poison Control for further guidance.

Before Calling Emergency

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

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. Take the container or a sample with you to the emergency room.

What to expect at the emergency room

Some or all of the following procedures may be performed:

Treat the symptoms.

Expectations (prognosis)

Chalk is considered a fairly nontoxic substance, so recovery is quite 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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