Ink remover poisoning

Poisonous ingredients include:

• Drinking alcohol (ethanol)
• Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol, which can be very poisonous if swallowed in large doses)
• Wood alcohol (methanol, which is very poisonous)

These ingredients can be found in:

• Ink removers
• Liquid bleaches

Note: This list may not include all sources of ink removers.

Symptoms from all types of alcohol poisoning may include:

• Brain damage
• Decreased breathing
• Stupor (decreased awareness, sleepiness confusion)
• Unconsciousness

Methanol and isopropyl alcohol poisoning symptoms can occur in various parts of the body.

EYES, EARS, NOSE, AND THROAT

• Blindness
• Blurred vision
• Enlarged (dilated) pupils

GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEM

• Abdominal pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Severe bleeding and vomiting blood (hemorrhage)

HEART AND BLOOD

• Low blood pressure, sometimes leading to shock
• Severe change in the level of acid in the blood (pH balance), which leads to the failure of many organs
• Weakness
• Collapse

KIDNEYS

• Kidney failure

LUNGS AND AIRWAYS

• Rapid, shallow breathing
• Fluid in the lungs
• Blood in the lungs
• Stopped breathing

MUSCLES AND BONES

• Leg cramps

NERVOUS SYSTEM

• Coma (decreased level of consciousness and lack of responsiveness)
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Convulsions (seizures)

SKIN

• Blue skin, lips, or fingernails (cyanosis)

Get medical help right away. Do not make a person throw up unless told to do so by poison control or a health care provider.

If the chemical is on the skin or in the eyes, flush with lots of water for at least 15 minutes.

Get the following information:

• Person's age, weight, and condition
• Name of the product (and ingredients and strengths, if known)
• Time it was swallowed
• Amount swallowed

The local poison control center can be reached directly by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.

This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the United States use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You can also get online poison help now at Poisonhelp.org. Just enter the product, poison, or medicine to get expert help.

The provider will measure and monitor the person's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure. Symptoms will be treated as appropriate.

Tests that may be done include:

• Blood and urine tests
• Chest x-ray
• Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Endoscopy -- camera placed down the throat to check for burns in the esophagus and stomach

Treatment may include:

• Breathing support, including tube through the mouth into the lungs and connected to a breathing machine (ventilator).
• Fluids through a vein (by IV).
• Kidney dialysis (machine to remove poison and correct acid-base balance).
• Medicine to treat the effects of the poison and other symptoms.
• Tube through the mouth into the stomach to wash out the stomach (gastric lavage). This is done only when the person gets medical care within 30 to 45 minutes of the poisoning, and a very large amount of the substance has been swallowed.

How well the person does depends on the amount of poison swallowed and how quickly treatment is received. The faster the person gets medical help, the better the chance for recovery.

Methanol is the most dangerous and poisonous substance that can be an ingredient in ink remover. It often causes permanent blindness.

Meehan TJ. Care of the poisoned patient. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 135.

Nelson LS, Calello DP. Acute poisoning. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 96.

Nelson ME. Toxic alcohols. In: Walls RM, eds. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 136.

Theobald JL, Corcoran JN. Poisoning. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, et al, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2025:chap 94.

Updated by: Jesse Borke, MD, CPE, FAAEM, FACEP, Attending Physician at Kaiser Permanente, Orange County, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.