| Diamond dust are sometimes mentioned in literature as poisons. It should be considered as equivalent to powdered glass. These substances are usually taken with suicidal intention and sometimes used for homicide.
Symptoms and signs: When taken internally, powdered glass produces a sharp burning pain in the throat, stomach and abdomen.There is nausea and vomiting, the vomit being blood stained.There is generally constipation but sometimes diarrhoea with tenesmus and blood. Death may occur from shock if stomach or intestine has been perforated. Due to the presence of silica which is radio-opaque, glass pieces may cast a faint shadow on x-ray and this helps in diagnosis.
Treatment: This consists of giving bulky food, such as large quantity of rice or banana, to envelope the fragments of glass within it, and then of emetics and laxatives but no violent purgatives. The rest of treatment is symptomatic.
Consult your doctor. |