Adsorption of drugs and poisons by activated charcoal

Influence of Activated Charcoal on the Disposition Kinetics of Methamphetamine Enantiomers in the Rat Following Intravenous Dosing

“…8 An in vitro study demonstrated that AP can be effectively adsorbed by activated charcoal. 10 The use of activated charcoal together with cathartics may be effective for up to 12 h following ingestion of toxic doses of sustained-release or resin-complexed capsules of amphetamines. 8 The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of oral activated charcoal on the disposition of MAP given intravenously (iv) to rats in order to evaluate this form of treatment for MAP toxicity.…”

Chemical, physical, and biological methods for the disposal and detoxification of pesticides

“…The charcoal will be regenerated at a rate of 58,000 to 72,000 kg/ day in a multihearth furnace and 4,000 kg/ day of new charcoal (5.5 to 7.0%) will be added to make up for processing losses ( Chemical Week 1976). Granulated activated charcoal can thus be recycled by incineration with less than ten % loss per cycle; however, its efficiency for pesticide adsorption Huctuates greatly (BOND and STRAUB 1974, HAGER 1976, HAY-DEN and COMSTOCK 1975, DECKER et al 1968 and, therefore, this method cannot be universally applied for final cleanup. Adsorption using Amberlite polymeric adsorbents which are said to be specific for phenols may also represent a method for final wastewater treatment (Chern.…”

“…The treatment methods currently available for handling organophosphate and phenylcarbamate pesticide poisoning cases involves administration of atropine or 2-PAM or combinations thereof (QUINBY and CLAPPISON 1961). Several groups have examined giving charcoal orally to adsorb injested pesticides (DECKER et al 1968, HAYDEN and COMSTOCK 1975, PICCHIONI et al 1966), while YATZIDIS (1964 has examined a blood-perfusion charcoal absorption technique. It may be possible to detoxify pesticides in blood by using a similar blood perfusion technique with microbial pesticide-hydrolyzing enzymes immobilized onto certain carriers.…”

Activated Charcoal for Acute Poisoning: One Toxicologist’s Journey

“…Activated charcoal does not effectively adsorb ferrous sulfate [33] or lithium carbonate [34]. Despite the famous claim that in 1811 Bertrand publicly swallowed a lethal dose of arsenic trioxide mixed with charcoal [35], more recent studies appear to disprove its effectiveness for this poison [36].…”