Drinking peroxide 'super water' leads to dangerous blood clots
Staff Writer |
Ingesting high-concentration hydrogen peroxide as a "natural cure" or cleansing agent may land you in the emergency room, health experts caution.
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Of particular concern are alternative drinking "therapies" that proactively promote the health benefits of potent peroxide.
These so-called "super water" cures are anything but curative, researchers said, with ingestion leading to heart attack, stroke, and in some cases, death.
"Alternative medicine practices are not always safe," said study lead author Dr. Benjamin Hatten. He's currently an assistant professor in the department of emergency medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
"In addition to the lack of scientific evidence of benefit, ingestion of high-concentration peroxide can be life-threatening. This product is much more dangerous than the household hydrogen peroxide that comes in a brown bottle and is used by the public to clean wounds," Hatten said. He conducted this research while at Oregon Health & Science University.
The current investigation looked at both the accidental and intentional consumption of industrial-concentration peroxide in formulations of 10 percent or more.
That's different from the low-concentration (3 to 5 percent) hydrogen peroxide liquid that people find in drug stores to safely treat external wounds and for cosmetic purposes.
The study included 10 years of information from 2001 and 2011. The information was from the U.S. National Poison Data System and the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC).
In that time frame, nearly 300 cases of high-concentration peroxide poisoning were identified.
Just under 14 percent of the patients experienced a partial or total blockage of blood flow to the heart (an embolism). Almost 7 percent either died following peroxide ingestion or suffered long-term disability. Both figures, said Hatten, were "much higher than anyone expected."
What's more, significant injury - ranging from seizures, respiratory distress, strokes, heart attacks and altered mental states - wasn't always immediately apparent.
Problems occurred as long as 25 hours following peroxide ingestion, the study showed. ■