What to do if you swallow a steel wool

Steel wool is very common in our daily life. Most people use it to clean dishes. In addition to its use in daily life, some people may accidentally eat steel wool. In real life, steel wool comes in different sizes. If you accidentally swallow one, you must take emergency measures and also pay attention to observe any abnormal symptoms in your body. So what should you do if you swallow steel wool?

1. Check as soon as possible

Due to the wrapping effect of food, small pieces of steel wool entering the gastrointestinal tract are generally not dangerous. Eventually it is usually excreted from the body with stool. If the steel wool is too large or too sharp, you should not take it lightly. If you belong to the latter situation, the steel wool is relatively large, especially if you have already felt gastrointestinal discomfort, you should go to the hospital for further examination in time.

2. Eat more crude fiber foods

The material of the steel wool is stainless steel. The human body cannot digest it, so a small amount of accidental ingestion will have no effect on the body and will be excreted from the body with the feces. It is recommended to eat more foods rich in crude fiber to promote bowel movements. The steel wire is very small and is eaten with a large amount of food, so it will basically be excreted along with food residues in the form of excrement. If there is no stinging feeling within a few days, it can be basically confirmed that there is nothing wrong.

3. Others

Steel wool is made of stainless steel. After you eat it, it may be excreted naturally, or it may flow into your duodenum, or it may remain in your stomach and disappear after many years of stomach acid corrosion. It may also stick to your gastric mucosa and be wrapped by the gastric mucosa, growing a big lump in your stomach, which may turn into cancer over time, or it may not show any abnormalities until you die.