Woman dies after accidentally brushing teeth with rat poison

[Bayard]

A woman has died after mistaking a tube of rat poison for toothpaste and brushing her teeth with it.

Police identified the victim as 57-year old Leela Karkera in an unnatural death report, according to the Times of India.

Karkera was reportedly unable to tell the difference between the packaging of the rat poison and toothpaste.

She was rushed to a private hospital immediately for treatment but died on Sunday.

The incident took place in the Indian port of Malpe, near Udupi city on the Karnataka coast.

It is reportedly fairly common to mistake a specific brand of rat poison for toothpaste due to similarities in packaging. There is no antidote for the poison.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/woman-death-rat-poison-toothpaste-india-karnataka-a9218111.html



I would think the black color would hint something was wrong, but several young children have died as well.

[PJMcK]

1. Today's Darwin Award winner (n/t)

[Sanity Claws]

2. Charcoal toothpaste is black

[canetoad]

3. Yep. That's what I use.

[targetpractice]

5. I never knew this was a thing...

Went to buy a new toothbrush the other day, and saw some black charcoal ones.

Now I know, I'm wondering.. Do I need one?

[LeftInTX]

10. Charcoal is the newest beauty fad

It started a few years ago when women started applying charcoal masks to get rid of blackheads. (The masks don't work) Now it's moved into toothpaste.

[targetpractice]

12. My immediate thought was... It must be an optical illusion.

Anyone's teeth would look great when looking in the mirror before spitting out that black toothpaste when finished brushing.

[Dem_4_Life]

16. I love the Hello brand charcoal toothpaste and mouthwash

It's so refreshing and cleans so well. Years ago I tried the charcoal powder teeth treatment and it is an instant whitening effect.

[at140]

4. People die all the time from freak accidents

I could have died 3 times in freak accidents already!
One time from falling off a 3 story building roof.
Second time very nearly drowning in a lake, under-estimating size of the lake in Michigan. I actually began to drown but was close enough to the shore and my feet hit the lake bottom and saved me. I threw up on the bank from the stress.
Third time a near head-on accident at 50 mph on Lake Shore drive in Chicago, due to cross wind shoving a VW beetle traveling in opposite direction across into my lane heading straight for my car.
I still get nightmares about these, and very lucky to have lived a full life, now nearing 80 candles.

Just last week I was on cruise ship Norwegian Jade where a woman got drunk, was sitting on her cabin's balcony railing and fell 8 stories down into ocean at 10 pm. She was very very lucky the rescue boat found her after her boy friend saw her fall and notified the ship immediately.

[LeftInTX]

6. I wonder what's in the rat poison??

The US we use warfarin, which I don't think will kill you if you brush your teeth with it and spit it out. It will make your gums and mouth bleed like heck, but I don't think it will kill you.

[at140]

7. I thought it was Arsenic?

[LeftInTX]

9. In the US, it's blood thinners

This was because the other rat poisons were causing secondary problems.

Maybe arsenic is allowed in limited, isolated settings with a special license, but if you purchase rat killer or have your pesticide person install a bait station, it will consist of a blood thinner.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

8. Here

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3113395/

Elemental phosphorus exists in two forms—red and yellow. Red phosphorus is nonvolatile, insoluble, and unabsorbable, and therefore nontoxic when ingested. Yellow phosphorus (also referred to as white phosphorus), on the other hand, is a severe local and systemic toxin causing damage to gastrointestinal, hepatic, cardiovascular, and renal systems. White phosphorus is used as rodenticides and in fireworks. The most readily available source of yellow phosphorus today is rodenticides. Rodenticides are available as powders or pastes containing 2 to 5% of yellow phosphorus.[1] We describe here a case of acute yellow phosphorus poisoning that led to fulminant hepatic failure and eventually, the patient recovered with conservative management.

[The Genealogist]

11. The first thing that came to my mind was the movie 9 to 5

I thought it was skinny and sweet

[sdfernando]

13. "I thought it was Skinny & Sweet...I mean it looks like Skinny & Sweet"....

"He wants to look in the trunk".....

"Sorry but we don't have time for you!"

Car rushes off.

[Luz]

15. I'm no fool. I've killed the boss, you think they're not

gonna fire me for a thing like that?

[targetpractice]

17. Wow... That was a deep cut...

Thank you, SF Fernando!

[Bayard]

14. When I was a kid....

I once brushed my teeth with my Mom's Preparation H. Definitely not minty fresh.