Definition

Cobalt overdose is poisoning from an overdose of cobalt.

Alternative Names

Cobalt chloride; Cobalt oxide; Cobalt sulfate

Poisonous Ingredient

Cobalt

Where Found

  • Magnets in pigment manufacture
  • Paint drying agents
  • Vitamin B-12 (a metallic component)
  • Exposure is seen in tool sharpeners and grinders, and miners

Note: This list may not be all-inclusive.

Symptoms

From swallowing:

  • Body as a whole
    • Pain
    • Weakness
  • Respiratory
  • Skin
    • Itching
    • Cyanosis
  • Gastrointestinal
    • Vomiting
    • Nausea
  • Heart and blood vessels
    • Low blood pressure
  • Endocrine
    • Metabolic acidosis
    • Hypothyroidism
    • Goiter
From inhalation:
  • Respiratory
    • Shortness of breath
    • Wheezing
  • Skin
    • Rash

Home Treatment

If overdosage is caught within approximately 1 hour, lavage and activated charcoal are usually the treatment choices. For oral ingestion, iron can often decrease the absorption of cobalt. Call Poison Control for guidance.

Before Calling Emergency

Determine the following information:

  • The patient's age, weight, and condition
  • The name of the product (ingredients and strengths if known)
  • The time it was swallowed
  • The amount swallowed

Poison Control, or a local emergency number

They will instruct you if it is necessary to take the patient to the hospital. See Poison Control Centers for telephone numbers and addresses. Take the container with you to the emergency room.

What to expect at the emergency room

Some or all of the following procedures may be performed:

  • Give an antidote.
  • Treat the symptoms.

Expectations (prognosis)

If treated promptly under proper medical care poisoning is rarely severe, unless the toxicity is due to a long-time accumulation. In that case the ultimate outcome depends on what damage has occurred in body organs affected by the metal.

Review Date:5/10/2005
Reviewed By: William D. Whetstone, M.D., Division of Emergency Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.