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pencil point puncture?

I accidentally stepped on a pencil and the point went into the side of my foot. I was able to remove the point with tweezers and I'm about to wash, disinfect, and bandage the area, but is there anything else I need to do? There's still a lot of pencil in the wound because the cut is black. Do i have to go to the doctor?

6 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    As 'lead' pencils, sold in the U.S., don't contain actual lead, you want to worry about infection. Make sure the area is very well cleansed, apply a first-aid disinfectant cream and stick a bandage on it. The discoloration that you are noticing is residue from the pencil's graphite and bruising from the initial puncture. If you notice a redness developing around the puncture, pronounced swelling or have not had a tetanus shot in the past 7-10 years, go ahead and visit your doctor or local clinic.

  • 1 decade ago

    I had a pencil accident when I was younger. It went into my cheek and I went to the doctor but as far as I can remember he didn't really do anything more than what you are doing. Plus the skin on your feet are much tougher and more calloused than a cheek. But you may want to call just in case. I still have a dark mark on my cheek but luckily it just looks like a beauty mark. Good luck with it though, hope you feel better.

  • 1 decade ago

    Yes. My son punctured himself in the palm of his hand and though we got the lead out, I still took him to the doctor. I took him to the emergency room. The ER doctor said that although cleansing the wound with hydrogen peroxide and antibiotic ointment were good, they may not have been adequate to ward off infection. He retreated the puncture wound and gave him a tetanus shot.

  • 1 decade ago

    how deep was it? Well you probably shouldn't worry too much since the component of pencils nowadays are much safer, and they don't use pure lead.

    plus, you treated your wound quite well, so the black stuff should push out soon.

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  • 1 decade ago

    I accidentally stabbed one in my hand before and I did the same as you. All it did was leave a dot like a tattoo where it was stabbed. Never got infected or anything. I would just watch it for infection.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    No. Graphite (the black stuff in pencils) by itself is non toxic and harmless to your body in this instance.

    Source(s): LIFE
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