Attempted Suicide

[wrmedic82]

Drinking water to dilute a smaller amount gives you a little better of a chance but not by much. It's so caustic that it erodes tissue pretty quickly, which is why it's so catastrophic when you drink a large amount.

Bleach is a much safer attention drink...

How sad. Too bad the guy didn't stop to think...

Wendy

CO EMT-B

I don't know I would try to dilute with water. Reason being a lot of your corrosives are water reactive. With any chemical I would contact poison control before any interventions are started. I have some data from one program(s) I use on HAZMAT scenes. This maybe useful.

Reactivity Documentation

CAUSTIC SODA, SOLUTION LYE

mixed with

WATER

Summary

[C] Exothermic reaction. May generate heat and/or cause pressurization.

[D3] Combination liberates gaseous products, at least one of which is toxic. May cause pressurization.

[D5] Combination liberates combustion-enhancing gas (e.g., oxygen). May cause pressurization.

[D6] Exothermic, generation of toxic and corrosive fumes.

[D7] Generation of corrosive liquid.

May produce the following gases:

Corrosive Fumes

Ammonia

Oxygen

Details

CAUSTIC SODA, SOLUTION

Belongs to the following reactive group(s):

Bases

Water is a reactive group.

Reactivity Predictions (for each pair of reactive groups)

Bases mixed with

Water

Hazard Predictions

[C] Exothermic reaction. May generate heat and/or cause pressurization.

[D3] Combination liberates gaseous products, at least one of which is toxic. May cause pressurization.

[D5] Combination liberates combustion-enhancing gas (e.g., oxygen). May cause pressurization.

[D6] Exothermic, generation of toxic and corrosive fumes.

[D7] Generation of corrosive liquid.

Potential Gas Byproducts

Ammonia (NH3)

Oxygen (O2)

Corrosive Fumes (CorrosiveFumes)

Acetaldehyde Ammonia resinifies (oxidizes, hardens and turns yellow or brown) on long exposure to air. The compound is very soluble in water. It reacts exothermically with water to evolve gaseous ammonia. [Hawley].

Lithium Amide is flammable and reacts with water or moist air to generate a dangerous amount of heat [Chem Reviews 12:61. 1933]. Lithium amide reacts vigorously with water to generate gaseous NH3. In experiments at Argonne National Laboratory, in which it was mixed with water and stirred at room conditions, about 23 percent of the theoretical yield of NH3 evolved as a gas in the first 0.6 minutes [brown, D. F., et al. (2000) Development of the Table of Initial Isolation and Protective Action Distances for the 2000 Emergency Response Guidebook, ANL-DIS-00-1, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne IL].

Magnesium Diamide may spontaneously ignite upon exposure to air. Soluble in water. Reacts violently with water to form caustic ammonia/ammonium hydroxide and heat.

Potassium Peroxide reacts exothermically with water (or moisture in the air) to give oxygen and a caustic solution, potassium hydroxide [NFPA 491M] .

Sodium Methylate ignites in moist air [Wischmeyer 1966]. The compound with moist air, autoignition is possible; strong reducing agent; reacts with light metals forming H2 gas, with fire and explosion hazards; reacts violently with water to form methanol and sodium hydroxide, and with acids, causing hazard of methanol ignition [Handling Chemicals Safely 1980 p. 850].

Sodium Superoxide reacts with moisture and carbon dioxide in the air. Reacts vigorously with water to give oxygen and sodium hydroxide.

Edited April 16, 2009 by wrmedic82

[emti2008]

Something that is completely misunderstood, and often neglected is mental health.

Sure, you will get the 16 year old who scratches his/her wrists for attention when they don't get their way.

But how about some of the other people out there?

The ones that have undergone severe emotional trauma, and tried to bury it, and move past it?

Everyone deals with trauma, be it mental or physical, in different ways.

There is a stigma attached to depression, anxiety, bipolar, manic depressives and the like.

Often times, those suffering do so in silence. What we see is a cry for help.

DON'T FUCKING WRITE THEM OFF BECAUSE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND

Be an advocate for them. Ensure that the ER does not throw them in triage. Talk to them. Let them know that they have someone to talk to, and not be judged.

If you couldn't tell, this is a subject that I am painfully familiar with

Thanks for standing up for those who cannot stand for themselves sometimes.

I a very familiar with this topic as well...There are those of us (survivors of such addictions as cutting, true cutting not just for attention) who get "caught" just as we are slipping away. If you can talk to them and let them know that they are free to talk it really helps. And you should also know that if caught AND properly treated they can live a normal healthy life. They are human beings with feelings just like anyone else, so please don't judge them, it will only make it worse.

[WolfmanHarris]

I, too, think that training for psychiatic disorders is sorely lacking. Here, paramedics are required to make only one 8 hour clinical rotation in a psyciatric ward.

That's excellent that you got even that much. In my 200 clinical hours we didn't spend any time on psych. Didn't notice at the time, but now I wish we had.

[wrmedic82]

Thanks for standing up for those who cannot stand for themselves sometimes.

I a very familiar with this topic as well...There are those of us (survivors of such addictions as cutting, true cutting not just for attention) who get "caught" just as we are slipping away. If you can talk to them and let them know that they are free to talk it really helps. And you should also know that if caught AND properly treated they can live a normal healthy life. They are human beings with feelings just like anyone else, so please don't judge them, it will only make it worse.

Agreed