Fuel poisoning (gasoline and petroleum derivatives)

This might sound a little stupid, but I accidentally inhaled a decent gulp of diesel when I pulled too hard on the pump. If there's anyone here who actually knows what they're talking about, can you tell me how bad this is? Like, am I looking at serious damage, such as wrecking my kidneys or liver or something?

You aren't the only one who messed up 😁

I took a decent swig of gasoline myself once and didn't feel a thing. Honestly, I think gas is a bit more aggressive than diesel, so don't sweat it too much! You just gave your throat a little seasoning—now just get back on the road and drive. 😁

Get yourself to the ER, right now. Don't try to force yourself to throw up because you risk inhaling it into your lungs. Just go.
Sure, diesel is probably carcinogenic, but that's a long-term problem. The immediate issue here is that you could end up slipping into a coma.

You need to get to the ER right now. It’s unlikely you’re facing anything catastrophic, though they might decide to keep you overnight for observation just to be safe. Petroleum and its distillates are notoriously toxic—they mess with your central nervous system, your GI tract, and your lungs, not to mention potential impacts on heart and kidney function. Just inhaling petroleum vapors can trigger cardiac excitation, which can be fatal. Seizures and comas are rare, but in medicine, "rare" doesn't mean "impossible." Given how much you took in and how it happened, you probably won't feel any immediate symptoms. In my experience, people deal with stuff like this all the time without any massive short-term fallout. As for the long-term effects? I honestly don't know. Just go to the doctor if you haven't already, and for God's sake, be more careful next time.

I’ve got a buddy who downed a whole glass of gasoline and was totally fine... He thought he was grabbing some wine, but it was straight gas, and once he saw the glass starting to melt, he just chugged it even faster before the thing dissolved... honestly, maybe his body is just so used to being hammered on booze that it didn't even register, so it was just another Tuesday for him... but seriously, you should probably hit up a doctor if that happens to you.

redharbor9 said:I’ve got a buddy who downed a whole glass of gasoline and was totally fine... He thought he was grabbing some wine, but it was straight gas, and once he saw the glass starting to melt, he just chugged it even faster before the thing dissolved... honestly, maybe his body is just so used to being hammered on booze that it didn't even register, so it was just another Tuesday for him... but seriously, you should probably hit up a doctor if that happens to you.

That's just not possible. Chugging about seven ounces of gasoline is going to make you nauseous, and almost certainly trigger vomiting in short order. Maybe he took a tiny sip, but drinking a full glass without consequences? No way.

The real danger with vomiting is aspirating that fuel into your lungs. Gasoline can essentially "wreck" the alveolar sacs, permanently damaging your lung capacity.
Plus, gasoline dissolves cell membranes; it’ll eat through your esophagus and stomach lining. From there, you’re looking at kidney damage and hitting those nephrons hard.
After the stomach comes the small intestine, which is particularly sensitive to solvents.

On top of that, gasoline contains toxic compounds like benzene. In sodas stabilized with sodium benzoate, there are only trace amounts, yet people love to scream about it and sign pointless petitions on Facebook, but suddenly a glass of gasoline is fine? 🙄

And this has nothing to do with being drunk or alcohol tolerance. Gasoline is made of various hydrocarbon chains—it's nonpolar. Alcohol is CH3CH2OH, a short polar chain. We are talking about completely different chemicals with entirely different poisoning mechanisms.

fadedmarlin402 made a good point regarding the brain damage.

Actually, we're talking about diesel here, which has heavier fractions than standard gasoline, making it slightly less reactive in the body, but even so, an ER visit is mandatory.
Especially after a whole glass. 🙄

Hey everyone, I could use some advice. Yesterday, I was trying to siphon a little gas out of my motorcycle, and I accidentally inhaled a bit of it—it went straight down my throat. I rinsed my mouth out immediately and didn't think I needed to see a doctor right away, but honestly, whenever I burp, I can still taste the fuel. LOL. It wasn't even pure gasoline, either; there was this weird black residue mixed in. Today, my voice feels a little raspy, almost like I’ve lost it. Aside from that scratchy feeling in my throat, I don't feel anything else when I burp, but I'm wondering: should I head to the ER or just wait it out? 🙂

Adam Harris10 said:Hey everyone, I could use some advice. Yesterday, I was trying to siphon a little gas out of my motorcycle, and I accidentally inhaled a bit of it—it went straight down my throat. I rinsed my mouth out immediately and didn't think I needed to see a doctor right away, but honestly, whenever I burp, I can still taste the fuel. LOL. It wasn't even pure gasoline, either; there was this weird black residue mixed in. Today, my voice feels a little raspy, almost like I’ve lost it. Aside from that scratchy feeling in my throat, I don't feel anything else when I burp, but I'm wondering: should I head to the ER or just wait it out? 🙂

Call 911. Just tell them exactly what you told us here, and they'll let you know if you need to come in or not.

It honestly blows my mind how people can be sitting there wondering if they need emergency medical attention, and instead of just calling 911, they hop on an internet forum and wait hours for a reply. Like, we aren't doctors! There are actual medical teams across the US ready to jump into action right now, but they can't help you through a message board.🙄

Exactly. While I was waiting for a reply, I actually headed straight to the ER. They ended up sending me back to my primary care physician instead, though. She prescribed some medication and gave me strict orders: stop straining my voice, no singing, and absolutely no talking. She also recommended steam inhalation—basically just breathing in the steam from herbal tea—and staying hydrated with plenty of homemade teas. LOL. She even suggested taking a spoonful of olive oil directly to soothe the throat and eating some chopped-up dried figs. She assured me there’s nothing to worry about, so 😁

For these kinds of tight spots, you really ought to keep some activated charcoal in your home medicine cabinet. Its ability to soak up just about anything that hits your stomach can be a total lifesaver. Plus, the stuff just passes right through your system, so there's zero risk of an overdose.