How is rubbing alcohol harmful

But keep in mind that ISO can be harmful to children in smaller amounts. To put things into perspective, ISO is more toxic than ethanol the kind of alcohol you can drink but less toxic than many other toxic alcohols, including ethylene glycol and methanol. The symptoms of ISO poisoning vary by the type and extent of poisoning.

Sometimes, the symptoms may not appear for several hours. Your body can handle small amounts of ISO. In fact, your kidneys remove approximately 20 to 50 percent of ISO from your body. The rest is broken down into acetone by enzymes known as alcohol dehydrogenases. This acetone is filtered out of your body through your lungs or kidneys. But when you ingest more ISO than your body can manage which occurs around milliliters for an adult , poisoning can occur. Some people might intentionally ingest ISO to experience its intoxicating effects or harm themselves.

But most cases of ISO poisoning are accidental and occur in children under the age of 6. Your doctor will perform a physical exam so they can check your vital signs and look for signs of ISO exposure, like skin damage. In some cases, your doctor may run an electrocardiogram EKG to assess your heart function. The goal of treatment is to remove the alcohol from your body and keep your organs working properly.

Treatment for ISO poisoning can include:. To prevent poisoning, avoid swallowing, inhaling, or prolonged skin contact with any products containing ISO. Among other things, these include:.

You should never induce vomiting because this can further damage your esophagus. But there are steps you should take when you or someone you know has ISO poisoning:. ISO poisoning can cause a range of symptoms that range from mild to severe. Call your local emergency number right away if you or someone else thinks they might be experiencing ISO poisoning. A person should apply a small amount of the rubbing alcohol to a paper towel or cloth and gently wipe it across the electronic device.

This chemical can also help remove water from an electronic device if a person accidentally drops it into water or spills some water on it. If the device was switched off at the time, removing water with the rubbing alcohol should recover it. Jewelry can collect a lot of grime and bacteria through frequent wearing. Cleaning the jewelry with rubbing alcohol will make it more hygienic to wear. People should apply the rubbing alcohol to a soft cloth or cotton swab.

They can then rub this against the jewelry to help remove surface dirt and bacteria. A review investigated the use of different aromatherapy ingredients for the treatment of nausea and vomiting following surgery. Rubbing alcohol was one of several aromatherapy ingredients that the researchers tested. They found that inhaling rubbing alcohol vapor rapidly alleviated nausea and reduced the need for antinausea drugs following surgery. However, they noted that the studies that the review included were of low-to-medium quality.

As such, further studies are necessary to confirm the findings. A person should talk to their doctor before inhaling rubbing alcohol vapor to alleviate nausea. Inhaling too much vapor can cause serious side effects in both children and adults. People should avoid adding rubbing alcohol to their bathwater. Prolonged exposure to rubbing alcohol can cause the skin to absorb the alcohol, which can lead to toxicity in both children and adults.

As such, it is not an effective treatment for fever. In fact, inhaling large quantities of rubbing alcohol can lead to additional health problems, such as:. Rubbing alcohol causes drying of the skin. According to the AAD, dry skin can make acne appear worse. It can also increase the frequency and severity of acne breakouts. People should, therefore, avoid using rubbing alcohol as a treatment for acne. Anyone who is concerned about acne should speak to a doctor or dermatologist for advice on effective acne treatments.

A person should not use rubbing alcohol to treat lice. Rubbing alcohol can kill lice, but it can also cause adverse reactions on the scalp. A person who has lice can ask their doctor or pharmacist for advice on effective lice treatments. According to the CDC, rubbing alcohol is not suitable for sterilizing medical and surgical equipment because it does not effectively kill bacterial spores. A bacterial spore is a protective layer that forms around the DNA of certain bacteria.

It allows the bacteria to lie dormant until environmental conditions become more favorable for their growth. According to the National Capital Poison Center , drinking a small amount of rubbing alcohol typically causes few symptoms.

However, drinking a significant amount can cause poisoning and serious illness. If an adult or child accidentally swallows rubbing alcohol, they or their caregiver should contact Poison Control immediately on If symptoms are present, a person should phone for emergency medical treatment. Rubbing alcohol has several potential uses for personal care and household cleaning.

It's colorless, flammable, smells strong and can be absorbed through the eyes, skin, lungs and digestive system. Symptoms of ingesting the substance include difficulty breathing, blurred vision or blindness formaldehyde can damage optic nerves , low blood pressure, fatigue, and damage to the nervous system, stomach and intestines. Ethyl alcohol, widely known as ethanol, grain alcohol or drinking alcohol, is found in alcoholic beverages.

It's colorless, flammable and—when denatured think: chemicals added to discourage recreational consumption —can be used as a fuel additive or topical antiseptic. Ethanol is the scientific name for the intoxicating agent produced when sugar is fermented by yeast. Even though you can drink ethanol when diluted, it's not completely foolproof. According to the Alcohol Content Database, alcoholic beverages have the following concentration of alcohol:.

In contrast, store-bought rubbing alcohol is 70 percent isopropyl alcohol, or proof when measured in ethanol terms.

It's metabolized differently, causing the body to become overwhelmed by the toxins. When it comes to drinking rubbing alcohol, the digestive tract suffers the most, even when only swallowing a small amount. The body metabolizes these extremely high alcohol levels into acetone. If consumed to intoxication, the substance can lead to organ damage.

Because it's a central nervous system depressant, side effects can include dizziness, headaches and inebriation. Because it's a gastrointestinal irritant, it can cause nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting blood.

In addition, "due to having a higher molecular weight than ethanol, isopropanol, is more intoxicating than ethanol and can produce an altered sensorium, hypotension, hypothermia, and even cardiopulmonary collapse. Hypotension is associated with severe overdose and related to a mortality rate of nearly 45 percent," according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information NCBI.

For someone who wants to get drunk as fast as possible, yes, isopropyl alcohol will do the trick. According to the NCBI, "nearly 80 percent is absorbed [into the bloodstream] within 30 minutes of ingestion.

Odds are high that the individual won't only get drunk on this dangerously toxic beverage, they'll black out and possibly even die.

According to Livestrong.