First aid for poisoning
Carbon monoxide, alcohol, poor-quality products – all this can cause poisoning. Together with an expert, we find out how to act in case of different types of poisoning, why they are dangerous and how to avoid them.

Carbon monoxide poisoning

Carbon monoxide poisoning is one of the most dangerous that a person faces in life. This gas is colorless, odorless and heavier than air. Easily spreads through barriers, walls, windows, soil, and even respirators may not save from its spread.

Carbon monoxide poisoning can be acute or chronic, but acute poisoning is especially dangerous.

Carbon monoxide binds strongly to hemoglobin and infects red blood cells. Normally, hemoglobin carries oxygen to all tissues and organs. By binding to hemoglobin, carbon monoxide interferes with the supply of oxygen to the body, oxygen starvation or hypoxia develops. This condition is life-threatening and, if severely poisoned, can be fatal.

The first symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, rapid pulse, disorientation, shortness of breath, and convulsions. Possible development of fainting, euphoria, confusion1.

With carbon monoxide poisoning, neuropsychiatric symptoms can develop within a few weeks. A small concentration of carbon monoxide causes suffocation and headache, a significant concentration causes paralysis and loss of consciousness. If a person is in such a concentration of gas for 25-30 minutes, then a fatal outcome is quite possible.1.

Acute poisoning resolves within a few hours, but if acute poisoning was severe, then hospitalization is necessary.

What can you do

In case of carbon monoxide poisoning, first aid should be provided before the ambulance arrives. The following measures must be taken:

  • remove or remove the victim from a source of carbon monoxide1;
  • provide oxygen to the body. Remove outerwear, tie, pressing elements of clothing (belt, scarf, etc.)1;
  • lay the victim on one side, ensure peace;
  • if the person is conscious, give him hot sweet tea or coffee to drink;
  • give a sniff of cotton wool moistened with ammonia in order to bring the person to consciousness1;
  • if necessary, give the victim an indirect heart massage and perform artificial respiration.

The sooner medical assistance is provided to the victim, the greater the chances of his recovery.

Prevention of carbon monoxide poisoning

In order to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, you need to follow simple rules:

  • do not spend the night in the garage;
  • do not use a gas burner or a kerosene lamp for heating an enclosed space;
  • do not leave the car with the engine running in the garage;
  • do not sleep in a car with the engine running.

Food poisoning

If you are turned inside out from a pie of dubious quality eaten at the station, then most likely you are dealing with food poisoning.

Many people have experienced this situation, but not everyone knows what to do. Food poisoning is a digestive disorder associated with the consumption of poor-quality or toxic foods and drinks.

Food poisoning is of two types:

  • Food poisoning associated with the consumption of food contaminated with pathogenic microbes, such as stale food. Also, the reason may be non-compliance with the rules of hygiene and sanitary standards, for example, the use of unwashed vegetables, fruits, etc. 2.
  • Toxic non-infectious poisoning – develop when various toxins enter the body, for example, chemicals or poisonous fungi and plants2.

Symptoms usually develop quickly. If measures are not taken in time, then the intoxication of the body increases and can threaten a person’s life. Typical symptoms of food poisoning include:

  • abdominal cramps;
  • stomach ache;
  • nausea, vomiting;
  • diarrhea;
  • weakness, general malaise2.

In addition to these symptoms, the temperature may rise to 39 ° C and above, the pulse becomes more frequent, salivation develops. These symptoms are signs of severe intoxication.2. In this case, you must consult a doctor.

What can you do

First aid for food poisoning should include:

  • Gastric lavage. In case of food poisoning, it is necessary to remove toxic food from the stomach. To do this, you need to prepare a soda solution (1 tablespoon of soda for 1,5 – 2 liters of warm boiled water)2. It is necessary to drink a little solution, and then induce vomiting by pressing two fingers on the root of the tongue. Repeat several times.
  • Reception of sorbents. Sorbents include drugs that actively absorb toxins, preventing them from being absorbed into the blood. The most well-known sorbents include activated carbon. The number of charcoal tablets to be taken is calculated by body weight (1 tablet per 10 kg of body weight)2. Other, more modern sorbents include Enterosgel, Laktofiltrum, Smecta and others. They should be taken according to the instructions.
  • Drink plenty of water. Vomiting and diarrhea contribute to the loss of large amounts of fluid. In case of poisoning, it is necessary to drink 2-3 liters of boiled water per day. It is advisable to add salt to the water by adding 1 tablespoon of table salt per 1 liter of water. You can also use special rehydration saline solutions, for example, Regidron.
  • Compliance with the regimen and diet. In case of severe poisoning and rejection of food by the body, it should be discarded on the first day. The next day, it is allowed to eat crackers, jelly, liquid puree, oatmeal porridge cooked in water.

Prevention of food poisoning

In order to prevent food poisoning, you must:

  • wash hands before eating;
  • properly store products;
  • comply with food preparation technologies;
  • to boil water;
  • carry antiseptic and wet wipes with you;
  • drink plenty of fluids, preferably water;
  • thoroughly wash vegetables and fruits (it is best to wash in warm water or rinse with boiling water). Remember that microbes can get from vegetables and fruits to other products (bread, cheese, etc.);
  • for children, make up a diet in such a way that most products undergo heat treatment;
  • pay special attention to quickly perishable foods: milk, eggs, meat. Store in the refrigerator and check the expiration date. Do not drink raw milk;
  • the processing of products and their use should be carried out in different dishes: separately raw, separately prepared; separately cheese, separately meat, separately fish;
  • try to carefully choose vegetables and fruits if you buy them on the track.

Chemical poisoning

Chemical poisoning or chemical poisoning is the most dangerous. Such intoxication is possible during cleaning with household chemicals, as well as drugs, paints, chemical compounds used in production.

Symptoms of such poisoning depend on the substance itself and on how it got into the human body. Chemicals can enter the body with inhaled vapors, through the esophagus, as well as through the skin and mucous membranes. Consider the symptoms characteristic of each of their types of poisoning.

When poisoning with chemical vapors, symptoms characteristic of damage to the respiratory system develop, such as:

  • shortness of breath and difficulty breathing;
  • acute respiratory failure, up to respiratory arrest;
  • chemical burn of the upper respiratory tract;
  • severe pallor and blueness of the skin;
  • loss of consciousness, hallucinations.

When poisoning with chemicals through the esophagus, the following symptoms are observed:

  • severe pain in the throat, esophagus, stomach as a result of a burn of the mucous membranes;
  • nausea;
  • vomiting, including with an admixture of black clots of clotted blood;
  • diarrhea, including black stools with bleeding from the intestines;
  • dehydration due to vomiting and diarrhea.

The symptoms of poisoning with chemicals that have come into contact with the skin and mucous membranes depend on the nature of the chemicals. Acids and alkalis leave burns, or penetrate the skin and are absorbed into the blood and affect the internal organs. The following symptoms are typical for this type of poisoning:

  • skin burns of varying degrees at the site of contact with the chemical;
  • strong pain;
  • allergic reaction: itching, redness, rash;
  • with severe poisoning – a violation of breathing and heart rhythm.

What can you do

When poisoning with chemicals, time is always precious, so the sooner you start providing first aid, the better the chance of recovery for the victim. In all cases of poisoning, you must immediately call an ambulance. Prior to her arrival, you must provide first aid yourself:

  1. In case of poisoning with chemical vapors, immediately remove the victim from the room into the air.
  2. It is desirable to determine what kind of substance poisoning occurred. This may depend on the extent of assistance provided. The nature of the substance will help determine the found open vials, boxes, packaging of medicines. Their discovery must be reported to physicians or forensic experts.
  3. If a poisonous substance gets inside it is necessary:
  • rinse the stomach with soda solution and induce vomiting;
  • give the victim enveloping agents such as Almagel, protein, starch. This is necessary so that toxins are not absorbed through the gastric mucosa;
  • give absorbents – activated carbon, Enterosgel, Lactofiltrum;
  • take the victim to the hospital as soon as possible.

Prevention of chemical poisoning

In order to prevent chemical poisoning, certain preventive measures must be observed:

  • be careful when storing, using and transporting them;
  • keep away from children, store first aid kits, vinegar, alcohol, gasoline in special closed places. Never pour chemicals into drink bottles that children might drink by mistake;
  • before working with hazardous substances, read the instructions for their use and follow the recommendations.

Alcohol poisoning

It is known that ethanol decomposes in the liver with the formation of toxic products that have a narcotic effect. When alcohol is consumed in large quantities, the formation of these substances increases dramatically, which can lead to severe intoxication and poisoning.

The dose of alcohol that can cause poisoning in each person is individual and depends on gender, age, health status, the amount of alcohol eaten and the rate of alcohol consumed. Symptoms of alcohol poisoning are:

  • it hurts in areas burned;
  • hepatomegaly (enlargement of the liver);
  • jaundice;
  • dry mouth;
  • vomiting;
  • convulsions;
  • respiratory failure;
  • confused consciousness;
  • paleness and blueness of the skin3.

After acute symptoms, toxic hepatitis develops, that is, liver damage of a chronic nature.

What can you do

It is necessary to provide first aid for alcohol poisoning. For this you need:

  • rinse the stomach with a soda solution;
  • give activated charcoal or any of the other sorbents (Smecta, Enterosgel);
  • prevent the patient from losing consciousness. In order to clarify the mind, you can bring a cotton swab dipped in ammonia to the nose of the patient. You can also use strong tea;
  • monitor the condition of the victim and if his condition worsens – loss of consciousness, convulsions, respiratory failure, weak pulse, immediately call an ambulance3.

What not to do

  • the victim should not be left alone in order to “sleep through”;
  • do not give coffee. Coffee, like alcohol, removes fluid from the body;
  • do not induce vomiting. When vomiting, a person with alcohol intoxication may choke;
  • do not send in a cold shower. Body temperature in alcohol poisoning is reduced. Cold showers can cause hypothermia;
  • do not allow the patient to continue to take alcohol.

Popular questions and answers

Answers to popular questions toxicologist, professor Mikhail Kutushov.

What are the consequences of carbon monoxide poisoning?

– It can be encephalopathy, cerebral edema, pneumonia, hearing impairment. In severe cases, death is possible.

What to do if you inhale smoke from a fire?

– Smoke is based on carbon dioxide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulfide. In case of severe smoke poisoning (especially often in case of fires), first aid should be provided: take it out to fresh air, do artificial respiration, put the person on his back, raise his head a little.

If you simply inhale the smoke from a fire, the danger is that the smoke, which contains simple chemical asphyxiants and irritants, can cause a person to cough. Smoke from a campfire burns out oxygen and leaves only dioxide. Symptoms: cough with soot coming out. If the condition worsens, you need to go to the hospital.

How to restore the stomach after food poisoning?

– The first day is better not to eat anything at all, drink salted water and water with soda. From the second day, liquid cereals, low-fat broths, vegetable soups, stewed vegetables and wheat crackers can be introduced into the diet. Then gradually you can add chicken, turkey, rice. Return to your normal diet no sooner than after 2-3 weeks. You can also take pre- and probiotics.

How to get rid of drug intoxication?

– Rinse the stomach, drink a lot of water, take activated charcoal – one tablet per 10 kg of weight. Toxins are removed from the body with the help of water.

Sources of:

  1. Memo from the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia. First aid for carbon monoxide poisoning. https://01.mchs.gov.ru/deyatelnost/press-centr/novosti/4043087
  2. Memo from the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia. First aid for food poisoning. https://01.mchs.gov.ru/deyatelnost/press-centr/novosti/4043087
  3. Memo from the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia. First Aid Handbook: First Aid for Poisoning. https://87.mchs.gov.ru/deyatelnost/press-centr/novosti/3898087

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