The sooner activated charcoal is given after a drug or chemical is swallowed, the better it works. The efficacy of activated charcoal depends on how quickly it is given and the poisonous substance swallowed. An early demonstration of the adsorptive properties of activated charcoal occurred in 1813 when the French chemist Bertrand drank 5 grams of arsenic trioxide (a very poisonous substance) mixed with activated charcoal and survived.
Some studies show that pushing the poison or drug through the gut faster might also decrease the amount that is absorbed into the body.Īctivated charcoal has historically been used to clean water and as a treatment for many ailments. Some activated charcoal products contain a sweetener called sorbitol that adds sweetness and is also a laxative. It is typically mixed with water but it can be mixed with a sweet beverage for children. One teaspoonful of activated charcoal has about the same total surface area as a football field! In the emergency room, the black powder is mixed with a liquid and given to a poisoned patient to drink. The charcoal is then "activated" through a special process that makes lots of holes and crevices on the charcoal particles to increase surface area and available binding sites. The resulting product is a black, odorless powder. Activated charcoal is made by burning carbon-rich materials, such as wood, at very high temperatures to create charcoal. It is also used to adsorb drugs in the gut so the drugs don't enter the body. That is why it is used for water filtration. However, when gastrointestinal decontamination is performed, it is typically accomplished with a product known as "activated charcoal," mixed and taken by mouth or feeding tube in the emergency room.Īctivated charcoal is a special form of carbon that can bind other substances on its surface (a dsorption).
There are also a few specific antidotes that can be of great benefit. For example, if the person's blood pressure is low, IV fluids and medications might be given to raise blood pressure. Most overdoses are treated with supportive care. When people have to go to an emergency room because of an overdose, they are often worried about getting their stomachs "pumped." In reality, gastric lavage (stomach pumping) does not happen very often.
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