Burns and/or redness around the mouth area Breath that smells of chemicals (gasoline or paint thinner) Vomiting or regurgitating Trouble breathing Drowsiness or sleepiness Mental confusion or other altered mental status
If the person is not breathing or showing other signs of life, such as moving or coughing, administer CPR, and call emergency services or have someone else nearby call. [2] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source If the victim is vomiting, especially if he is unconscious, turn his head to the side to prevent choking.
Fainting Difficulty breathing or cessation of breathing Agitation or restless Seizures
Poison control center numbers for different areas may vary, but a simple web search should produce the appropriate number for your location. This is a free service that can prevent you from having to pay the costly fees associated with emergency rooms and doctor visits. Poison control is open all day, every day. The poison control representative will walk you through the step-by-step process of treating someone who has swallowed poison. The representative may give you home treatment suggestions but may also tell you to immediately take the victim to the emergency room. Do exactly what you are told and nothing more; poison control representatives are highly skilled in assisting with ingested poisons. You can also use the the website for Poison Control to get specific guidance on what you should do. However, only use this website if: the person is between the ages of 6 months and 79 years old, the person is asymptomatic and otherwise helpful, the person is not pregnant, the poison has been swallowed, the suspected poison is drugs, medicines, household products or berries, and the ingestion was unintentional and only occurred once.
Be sure as well to gather the labels or actual packaging (bottle, packet, etc. ) or whatever was ingested. Try to give your best estimation of how much or many of the item was ingested.
If the person has swallowed a button-cell battery, then called EMS immediately for treatment in a hospital emergency room as soon as possible. The acid from the battery can burn your child’s stomach within two hours so prompt treatment is essential.
Allow the person to blink and don’t force the eye open as you pour the water in.
Try to ascertain what chemical was inhaled so that you can tell Poison Control or Emergency Services in order to determine further treatment or other next steps.
Again, it’s important to note what the source of the poison was in order to determine further treatment. For example, medical authorities need to know whether it was an alkali, acidic or other substance in order to assess the potential damage it can do to the skin and how to avoid or mediate that.
