phenol poisoning

phenol poisoning,

corrosive poisoning caused by the ingestion of compounds containing phenol, such as carbolic acid, creosote, cresol, guaiacol, and naphthol. Characteristic of phenol poisoning are burns of the mucous membranes; weakness; pallor; pulmonary edema; seizures; and respiratory, circulatory, cardiac, and renal failure. Rarely esophageal stricture may develop as a complication of extensive tissue damage. Also called carbolic acid poisoning, carbolism.

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phenol

1. an extremely poisonous compound obtained by distillation of coal tar or produced synthetically; used as a disinfectant and used extensively as a wood preservative. Called also carbolic acid.

2. any organic compound containing one or more hydroxyl groups attached to an aromatic or carbon ring.

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phenol coefficient

a measure of the bactericidal activity of a chemical compound in relation to phenol. The activity of the compound is expressed as the ratio of dilution in which it kills in 10 minutes under specified conditions. It can be determined in the absence of organic matter, or in the presence of a standard amount of added organic matter.

phenol Folin-Ciocalteau

a sensitive, colorimetric method for estimating the protein content of cerebrospinal fluid.

plant phenol

includes gossypol, tannins.

phenol poisoning

animals can be exposed to phenol by skin contact with floors and housing which have been treated with the disinfectant, or other phenol-rich substance such as lignite pitch, or by nibbling at wood treated with it. Causes local tissue necrosis and hepatic injury. Cats are particularly susceptible.

phenol red

see phenolsulfonphthalein.