Vomiting antimony

Tartar emetic, as its name indicates, can be used medicinally to cause vomiting. For the preparation of tartar emetic intended for medicinal use, pure antimony trioxide, free (in particular) from traces of arsenic, must of course be employed. 

Antimony is not known to cause cancer, birth defects, or affect reproduction in humans. However, antimony has been shown to cause lung cancer in laboratory animals that inhaled antimony-containing dusts and prolonged exposure to antimony can cause irritation of the eyes, skin, lungs, and stomach, in the form of vomiting and diarrhea. Heart problems can also result from overexposure to antimony (33). 

OSHA PEL TWA 0.5 mg(Sb)/m3 ACGIH TLV TWA 0.5 mg(Sb)/m3 Proposed (inhalable fraction) 0.1 mg/m Not Classifiable as a Human Carcinogen) NiOSH REL (Antimony) TWA 0.5 mg/m SAFETY PROFILE Poison by ingestion. Human systemic effects by ingestion nausea, vomiting, and other gastrointestinal effects. When heated to decomposition it emits very toxic fumes of T, NOx, and Sb. See also ANTIMONY COMPOUNDS, EMETINE and IODIDES. 

Sodium stibogluconate (Pentostam) is an organic pentavalent antimony compound it may cause anorexia, vomiting, coughing and substemal pain. Used in mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, it may lead to severe irrflammation around pharyngeal or tracheal lesions which may require corticosteroid administration to control. Meglumine antimoniate is similar. 

Common adverse effects of antimony treatment include anorexia, nausea, vomiting, muscle ache, headache, lethargy, and bone and joint pain. 

Anorexia, nausea, and vomiting are common with antimonials (30). 

Antimony and its compounds are dangerous to human health. In low levels, these materials can irritate the eyes and lungs. They may also cause stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach ulcers. At higher doses, antimony and its compounds can cause lung, heart, liver, and kidney damage. At very high doses, they can cause death. 

During Palmer s trial, other suspicious deaths were investigated. Palmer had insured his wife s life for 13 000 in spring 1854 and by the autumn of the same year she was dead. Her death certificate stated that she died from English cholera. Her symptoms were recorded to include retching and vomiting, but no convulsions. Annie Palmer s body was exhumed for examination of her stomach contents. There were no traces of strychnine, but a small amount of antimony was found. Antimony can be used as a poison but at the time Annie Palmer died it was also often used to treat symptoms such as the ones she was suffering from. 

Cause dermatitis, conjunctivitis and ulceration. Several salts (e.g. tartar emetic potassium antimony tartrate) have been used therapeutically as parasiticides. The dark cosmetic Kohl is finely powdered antimony sulphide. Stibine poisonous gas SbHj, produced by action of acid on antimony residues, such as can occur in storage batteries. Nausea, vomiting, colic, can be fatal. Stibine produces liver damage and jaundice, as does arsine. 

If vomiting have not occurred in cases of acute antimonial poisoning it should be provoked by warm water, or the stomach should be evacuated by the pump. Tannin in some form (decoction of oak bark, cinchona, Butgalls, tea) should then be given with a view to rendering any remaining poison insoluble. 

Antidotes for Antimony, or Tartar Emetic. Administer large doses of warm water to induco vomiting (see Ao. 5896) givo the powder of Peruvian bark, and, aa soon as it can bo prepared, tho infudon of bark, which decomposes the tartar emetic. 

Human Toxicity Antimony and its compds have been reported to cause dermatitis, keratitis, conjunctivitis and nasal septal ulceration by contact, fumes or dust. Caulion Avoid conditions in which nascent hydrogen will react with antimony to form stibine (SbHj), which is extremely toxic (nausea, vomiting, headache, hemolysis, hematuria, abdominal pain, death). Stibine can be liberated from storage batteries when nascent hydrogen reacts, in an acid medium, with antimony present in the battery plates E. Browning, Toxicity of Industrial Metals (Appleton-Century Crofts, New York, 2nd ed., 1969) pp 23-38. 

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