A poison is a substance that has toxic effects and may injure you
or make you sick if you are exposed to it. Poisons can be found everywhere,
from simple household cleaners to cosmetics to houseplants to industrial
chemicals. Even medicines that are taken in the wrong dose, at the wrong time,
or by the wrong person can cause a toxic effect. Poisonous substances can hurt
you if they are swallowed, inhaled, spilled on your skin, or splashed in your
eyes. Generally, any product that gives off fumes or is an aerosol that can be
inhaled should be considered a possible poison. More than 90% of poisonings
occur in the home.
Young children have the highest risk of
poisoning because of their natural curiosity. More than half of poisonings in
children occur in those who are younger than age 6. Some children will swallow
just about anything, including unappetizing substances that are poisonous. When
in doubt, assume the worst. Always believe a child or a witness, such as
another child or a brother or sister, who reports that poison has been
swallowed. Many poisonings occur when an adult who is using a poisonous product
around children becomes distracted by the doorbell, a telephone, or some other
interruption.
Teenagers also have an increased risk of poisonings,
both accidental and intentional, because of their risk-taking behavior. Some
teens experiment with poisonous substances such as by sniffing toxic glues or
inhaling aerosol substances to get "high." About half of all poisonings in
teens are classified as
suicide attempts, which always requires medical
evaluation.
Adults-especially older adults-are at risk for
accidental and intentional poisonings from:
Gas leaks, such
as exhaust leaks from heaters and stoves and automobile exhaust. For more
information, see the topic
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.
Medicines, such
as acetaminophen, antibiotics, cough and cold remedies, vitamins, pain
relievers, sleeping pills, and tranquilizers.
Household cleaning
supplies and other substances, such as cosmetics, antifreeze, windshield
cleaner, gardening products, and paint thinners.
Herbal
products.
Symptoms of poisonings
The symptoms of a suspected
poisoning may vary depending on the person's age, the type of poisonous
substance, the amount of poison involved, and how much time has passed since
the poisoning occurred. Some common symptoms that might indicate a poisoning
include:
Nausea and
vomiting.
Cramps.
Throat
pain.
Drooling.
Sudden sleepiness, confusion, or
decreased alertness.
Anxiousness, nervousness, irritability, or
tremors.
Seizures.
Substance residue or burn around the
mouth, teeth, eyes, or on the skin.
Difficulty
breathing.
Headache.
Poison control centers, hospitals, or your doctor can
give immediate advice in the case of a poisoning. The United States
National Poison Control Hotline number is
1-800-222-1222. Have the poison container with you so
you can give complete information to the poison control center, such as what
the poison or substance is, how much was taken and when. Do not try to make the person vomit. If your poison control center
recommends vomiting for a specific substance, follow their guidelines.
Symptoms of damage to the
mucous membranes or burns in the mouth or
throat
After calling 911 or
other emergency services:
If the person becomes
unconscious, see the topic
Dealing With Emergencies. Be sure to tell emergency
personnel what first aid measures have been tried.
Call your local poison control center or the National Poison
Control Hotline (1-800-222-1222). Have the poison
container with you so you can give complete information to the poison control
center, such as what the poison or substance is, how much was taken and when.
Do not try to cause vomiting. However, if your poison
control center recommends vomiting for a specific substance, follow their
guidelines.
Check Your Symptoms
If you answer yes to any of the following questions, click on the "Yes" in front of the question for information about how soon to see a health professional.
Review
health risks that may increase the seriousness of your
symptoms.
If you know that any of the following
situations have occurred, go to the specific topic for more information.
Review
health risks that may increase the seriousness of your
symptoms.
Call your health professional immediately if you answer "Yes" to
the following question.
Note:
Do not try to cause vomiting.
However, if your poison control center recommends vomiting for a specific
substance, follow their guidelines.
Do not eat or drink until you have talked with a poison control center or your doctor.
Call the local poison control center (PCC) or the
National Poison Control Hotline (1-800-222-1222)
immediately. The PCC can help determine what steps to take next. Be prepared to
tell the PCC the person's age and weight.
Call your
doctor or go to the emergency room if you are unable to reach the
PCC.
Have the poisonous substance with you when you talk to the
poison control center so you can give complete information, such as what the
poison or substance is, how much was taken and when. Take the substance with
you if and when you see your doctor.
Review
health risks that may increase the seriousness of your
symptoms.
Call your health professional immediately if you answer "Yes" to
the following question.
Note:
Do not try to cause vomiting.
However, if your poison control center recommends vomiting for a specific
substance, follow their guidelines.
Do not eat or drink until you have talked with a poison control center or your doctor.
Call the local poison control center (PCC) or the
National Poison Control Hotline (1-800-222-1222)
immediately. The PCC can help determine what steps to take next. Be prepared to
tell the PCC the person's age and weight.
Call your
doctor or go to the emergency room if you are unable to reach the
PCC.
Have the poisonous substance with you when you talk to the
poison control center so you can give complete information, such as what the
poison or substance is, how much was taken and when. Take the substance with
you if and when you see your doctor.
Review
health risks that may increase the seriousness of your
symptoms.
Call your health professional immediately if you answer "Yes" to
the following question.
Note:
Do not try to cause vomiting.
However, if your poison control center recommends vomiting for a specific
substance, follow their guidelines.
Do not eat or drink until you have talked with a poison control center or your doctor.
Call the local poison control center (PCC) or the
National Poison Control Hotline (1-800-222-1222)
immediately. The PCC can help determine what steps to take next. Be prepared to
tell the PCC the person's age and weight.
Call your
doctor or go to the emergency room if you are unable to reach the
PCC.
Have the poisonous substance with you when you talk to the
poison control center so you can give complete information, such as what the
poison or substance is, how much was taken and when. Take the substance with
you if and when you see your doctor.
Review
health risks that may increase the seriousness of your
symptoms.
Call your health professional immediately if you answer "Yes" to
the following question.
Note:
Do not try to cause vomiting.
However, if your poison control center recommends vomiting for a specific
substance, follow their guidelines.
Do not eat or drink until you have talked with a poison control center or your doctor.
Call the local poison control center (PCC) or the
National Poison Control Hotline (1-800-222-1222)
immediately. The PCC can help determine what steps to take next. Be prepared to
tell the PCC the person's age and weight.
Call your
doctor or go to the emergency room if you are unable to reach the
PCC.
Have the poisonous substance with you when you talk to the
poison control center so you can give complete information, such as what the
poison or substance is, how much was taken and when. Take the substance with
you if and when you see your doctor.
Symptoms of damage to the
mucous membranes or burns in the mouth or
throat
After calling 911 or
other emergency services:
If the person becomes
unconscious, see the topic
Dealing With Emergencies. Be sure to tell emergency
personnel what first aid measures have been tried.
Call your local poison control center or the National Poison
Control Hotline (1-800-222-1222). Have the poison
container with you so you can give complete information to the poison control
center, such as what the poison or substance is, how much was taken and when.
Do not try to cause vomiting. However, if your poison
control center recommends vomiting for a specific substance, follow their
guidelines.
Check Your Symptoms
If you answer yes to any of the following questions, click on the "Yes" in front of the question for information about how soon to see a health professional.
Review
health risks that may increase the seriousness of your
symptoms.
If you know that any of the following
situations have occurred, go to the specific topic for more information.
Review
health risks that may increase the seriousness of your
symptoms.
Call your health professional immediately if you answer "Yes" to
the following question.
Note:
Do not try to cause vomiting.
However, if your poison control center recommends vomiting for a specific
substance, follow their guidelines.
Do not eat or drink until you have talked with a poison control center or your doctor.
Call the local poison control center (PCC) or the
National Poison Control Hotline (1-800-222-1222)
immediately. The PCC can help determine what steps to take next. Be prepared to
tell the PCC the person's age and weight.
Call your
doctor or go to the emergency room if you are unable to reach the
PCC.
Have the poisonous substance with you when you talk to the
poison control center so you can give complete information, such as what the
poison or substance is, how much was taken and when. Take the substance with
you if and when you see your doctor.
Review
health risks that may increase the seriousness of your
symptoms.
Call your health professional immediately if you answer "Yes" to
the following question.
Note:
Do not try to cause vomiting.
However, if your poison control center recommends vomiting for a specific
substance, follow their guidelines.
Do not eat or drink until you have talked with a poison control center or your doctor.
Call the local poison control center (PCC) or the
National Poison Control Hotline (1-800-222-1222)
immediately. The PCC can help determine what steps to take next. Be prepared to
tell the PCC the person's age and weight.
Call your
doctor or go to the emergency room if you are unable to reach the
PCC.
Have the poisonous substance with you when you talk to the
poison control center so you can give complete information, such as what the
poison or substance is, how much was taken and when. Take the substance with
you if and when you see your doctor.
Review
health risks that may increase the seriousness of your
symptoms.
Call your health professional immediately if you answer "Yes" to
the following question.
Note:
Do not try to cause vomiting.
However, if your poison control center recommends vomiting for a specific
substance, follow their guidelines.
Do not eat or drink until you have talked with a poison control center or your doctor.
Call the local poison control center (PCC) or the
National Poison Control Hotline (1-800-222-1222)
immediately. The PCC can help determine what steps to take next. Be prepared to
tell the PCC the person's age and weight.
Call your
doctor or go to the emergency room if you are unable to reach the
PCC.
Have the poisonous substance with you when you talk to the
poison control center so you can give complete information, such as what the
poison or substance is, how much was taken and when. Take the substance with
you if and when you see your doctor.
Review
health risks that may increase the seriousness of your
symptoms.
Call your health professional immediately if you answer "Yes" to
the following question.
Note:
Do not try to cause vomiting.
However, if your poison control center recommends vomiting for a specific
substance, follow their guidelines.
Do not eat or drink until you have talked with a poison control center or your doctor.
Call the local poison control center (PCC) or the
National Poison Control Hotline (1-800-222-1222)
immediately. The PCC can help determine what steps to take next. Be prepared to
tell the PCC the person's age and weight.
Call your
doctor or go to the emergency room if you are unable to reach the
PCC.
Have the poisonous substance with you when you talk to the
poison control center so you can give complete information, such as what the
poison or substance is, how much was taken and when. Take the substance with
you if and when you see your doctor.
If a visit to a health professional is not needed immediately, see the Home Treatment section for self-care information.
Home Treatment
First aid home treatment measures for suspected poisoning
Call a poison control center, hospital, or doctor
immediately. The United States National Poison Control Hotline number is 1-800-222-1222. Have the poison
container with you so you can give complete information to the poison control
center. Do not try to cause vomiting. If your poison
control center recommends vomiting for a specific substance, follow their
guidelines.
The poison
control center will be able to help you quickly if you have the following
information ready:
Your name and phone number
The
name, age, weight, and health status of the person who has been
poisoned
Type of product. Read the brand name as it is written on
the label. Include the list of ingredients and the company name and contact
number, if it is available on the label.
Amount of product involved
in poisoning
Type of poison exposure-swallowed, inhaled, or in
contact with the eyes or skin
Time of poisoning
Whether
the person vomited
Any first aid measures taken
Your
location and how far you are from an emergency medical facility
If the poison control center recommends medical
evaluation, take the product container or substance and any stomach contents
that the person vomited to help doctors determine the seriousness of the
poisoning.
Note:
Do not use syrup of ipecac. It is
no longer used to treat poisonings. If you have syrup of ipecac in your home,
flush it down the toilet and throw away the container. Do not store anything
else in the container.
Symptoms to Watch For During Home Treatment
Follow the instructions you received from
your doctor or the poison control center about seeking medical evaluation. Call
your doctor if any of the following occurs during home treatment:
New symptoms develop.
Symptoms
do not go away as expected.
Symptoms become more severe or
frequent.
Prevention
About 80% of poisonings occur in children
who are between the ages of 1 and 4 years. Develop poison prevention habits
early, before your child is crawling. Babies grow so fast that sometimes they
are crawling and walking before you have time to protect them.
General tips
Never leave a poisonous product unattended
around children, even for a moment. Many poisonings occur when an adult who is
using a poisonous product becomes distracted by the doorbell, a telephone, or
some other interruption.
Be aware of common substances that are
poisonous, such as houseplants and cosmetics.
Use childproof latches on your cupboards.
Keep
products in their original containers. Never store poisonous products in food
containers.
Never leave alcohol within sight or reach of a child.
Read product labels for caution statements, how to use the product
correctly, and first aid instructions.
Keep the number of your
local poison control center near your phone.
Talk with your doctor
about including
activated charcoal in your first aid supplies at home.
Activated charcoal reduces the toxic effect of some poisons.
Household poisons
Do not keep poisons such as drain cleaner, oven cleaner, or
plant food under your kitchen sink. Keep them out of the sight and reach of
children. Dishwasher detergent is especially dangerous.
Have your
home tested for levels of lead if any older leaded paints may still be present.
For more information, see the topic
Lead Poisoning.
Some house or garden
plants and the chemicals used to care for them (such as fertilizers) can be
poisonous if ingested. Be sure to teach your children not to play with
them.
Alcohol
Keep alcohol out of the sight and reach of
children.
Educate your children about the effects of alcohol and
medicines. Encourage your teenager to avoid alcohol and drugs.
Provide nonalcoholic beverages at parties and meals. Don't give
your children the impression that adults need to drink alcohol in order to have
a good time.
Medicines
Put all medicines and vitamins out of the
sight and reach of children. Acetaminophen, such as Tylenol or Panadol, is a
common source of childhood poisoning.
Never call medicines
"candy."
Keep medicines in their original labeled
containers.
Buy nonprescription medicines in child-resistant
packages.
Try to take medicines out of the sight of
children.
Do not regularly use medicines to sleep, lose weight, or
relax. Try to find nondrug solutions. For more information, see the topic
Sleep Problems, Age 12 and Older.
Check
the label on the bottle each time you take a medicine to make sure you're
taking the correct one.
Check the expiration dates on medicines,
and discard old medicines by flushing them down the toilet.
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
