Investigation of Possible Antidotal Effects of Activated Charcoal, Sodium Bicarbonate, Hydrogen Peroxide and Potassium Permanganate in Zinc Phosphide Poisoning

Zinc phosphide, a commonly used rat poison in Kenya was mixed with maize flour in a concentration of 0.15 % w/w and fed to a group of 60 experimental mice for 3 hours. The mice were then randomly divided into 5 equal groups, A, B, C, D and E. To group A, B, C and D was administered 1 ml of activated charcoal (3 % w/v), sodium bicarbonate (10 % w/v), hydrogen peroxide (0.5 % v/v) and potassium permanganate (1:5000), respectively. Group E was given 1 ml distilled water and used as control. All five groups were observed for symptoms of toxicity, often culminating in death. The observations were continued over a period of 36 hours. Results of the experiment showed that all 4 test substances minimized the lethal effect of zinc phosphide. Although no attempt was made to quantify the antidotal effect of the 4 substances, activated charcoal appeared to have a higher effect than the others, while potassium permanganate had a low rating. Key Words: Zinc phosphide, rat poison, antidote East and Central African Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Vol.5(2) 2002: 38-4