How to recognize and eliminate FOS poisoning?

2023 Author: Alfred Shackley | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 13:14

Poisoning of FOS in almost all recorded cases is of a household nature, and all because organophosphate compounds that cause intoxication itself are present in literally all means of insect control.

In its pure form, phosphorus is also widespread in the environment, moreover, it is important for the full activity of the human body and must enter it in an amount of 1600 mg per day. This is the only way to preserve the health and strength of the skeleton, not to mention the teeth.

What are FOS and why are they dangerous for our body?

As a rule, this element enters the body along with food, while its excess amount can penetrate the respiratory system along with agricultural products to destroy rodents, weeds, pests and insects.

Depending on the level of toxicity, a person has to deal with phosphorus compounds of the following type:

• highly poisonous;
• highly toxic;
• medium toxic;
• almost non-toxic.

In fact, FOS is a liquid or a crystalline powdery substance that quickly dissolves in any fats and solvents. The resulting product has a specific amber, while the poisoning itself occurs through the respiratory system, epithelium and oral cavity.

The use of substances of the FOS group is relevant:

• in the defense industry, more precisely, for the production of chemical warfare components;
• in medicine;
• in the process of destroying parasites on animals;
• during the processing of agricultural plantings.

FOS poisoning can be quickly recognized by the characteristic odor surrounding the affected person. The fulminant form of intoxication is noticeable in convulsions, while the final diagnosis is made only after taking tests for laboratory research.

Poisoning reasons

FOS poisoning can result from:

• drinking contaminated poisonous water;
• eating unwashed agricultural products collected immediately after chemical treatment of their place of growth;
• the use of cow or goat milk given by animals grazing in cultivated meadows and fields.

In fact, no one is immune from FOS poisoning, therefore it is so important to know the primary symptoms of intoxication and be able to provide all possible assistance to the victim before the arrival of doctors.

Typical clinical picture

Products with organophosphorus compounds are extremely dangerous due to the ability of FOS to be absorbed into the blood almost instantly, starting to do this even in the oral cavity. The process of converting a poisonous substance into highly toxic compounds takes a few minutes, and not provided first aid on time can have the most unpredictable consequences.

In medical practice, cases of repeated poisoning were recorded even without minimal contact with poison. How so? It's simple: FOS substances are converted cyclically, and therefore can accumulate in the body and not be eliminated from it for a long period of time. This state of affairs is called chronic intoxication.

First of all, organophosphate compounds affect the central nervous system, which occurs in three stages:

• The first, the most acute, can last three days;
• Complications after poisoning are observed for the next 4-14 days;
• Long-term results of intoxication can appear even after three years.

Symptoms of organophosphate poisoning are as follows:

• Visual impairment;
• Excessive sweating;
• Profuse salivation;
• Slowing down of the heartbeat;
• Strengthening intestinal peristalsis;
• Diarrhea;
• Cramping pain in the abdomen;
• Weakness and twitching of the muscles;
• Disturbed or paralyzed breathing;
• Sudden pressure surges;
• Loss of consciousness up to coma;
• Temperature changes;
• Dyspnea;
• Overexcitement.

The second stage of poisoning with FOS compounds is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• A strong drop in blood pressure;
• Edema of the brain of the head;
• Cyanosis of the skin;
• Absent reflex reactions;
• Hepatitis;
• Disruption of kidney function;
• Pneumonia.

Even in time, neutralized acute poisoning with FOS compounds can have negative consequences in the form of damage to the kidneys, liver, muscular and nervous systems. And this can happen many years later.

What needs to be done immediately?

Emergency care for FOS poisoning is different, and its nature is determined by how exactly the poisonous compounds entered the body:

1. If intoxication happened through the oral cavity, it is neutralized with petroleum jelly, activated carbon, gastric lavage and magnesium sulfate injections;
2. In the event that the poison has penetrated through the respiratory tract, the person is immediately taken out into the fresh air, given a fast-acting laxative and a specific antidote;
3. When poisoning has happened due to the ingress of a poisonous product on the skin, first aid should consist in washing the person with a soda solution, chloramine or soapy water.

Treatment with a drug antidote is carried out only in a polyclinic and with the involvement of:

• Diazepam;
• "Atropine sulfate";
• Dipiroxime;
• "Isonitrosine", etc.

Along the way, medicinal assistance is provided to alleviate all accompanying symptoms, in particular:

• a course of vitamins is prescribed;
• cardiac activity is getting better;
• using a probe, the upper parts of the digestive system are washed;
• the stomach and intestines are washed;
• intravenous glucose is injected.

Treatment of phosphorus poisoning involves a complete rejection of dairy products and fats. If you leave a diet full of prohibited ingredients, phosphorus compounds will spread through the body even faster.

Further assistance to the victim often includes a small blood transfusion in order to prevent "long-term" negative symptoms.

How to prevent FOS intoxication?

Even correctly provided emergency care cannot serve as a guarantee that poisoning will not make itself felt in a few years. In this regard, it is wiser to prevent it and the treatment of intoxication in general by all means.

This can be done as follows:

1. Use PPE when working with substances intended for the treatment of farmland;
2. Timely destroy containers from substances with phosphorus, store it correctly;
3. Immediately cut off hair and nails that have gotten particles of a poisonous product;
4. Dispose of clothing that has come into contact with organophosphorus compounds.

It will be interesting to know that FOS can bring not only harm, but also benefit to the human body. They are found in drugs that slow or stop the proliferation of cancer cells.

However, in order to obtain this benefit, it is necessary to strictly follow the rules of admission and dosage, and be sure to undergo treatment under the supervision of an experienced specialist.