Accidental Poisoning

Accidental poisoning is one of the leading causes of death in America. The sad part is that it often concerns children when they accidentally intake harmful medications. Hence, proper safekeeping at home is an important step towards preventing such dangers to the health of your children.

Dangers of Poisoning

Poisoning happens when an individual is exposed to harmful substances in the body, which could be caused by medications and other toxic substances that are often find inside your home. Indeed, poisoning could be caused by a whole variety of substances and even the medicines you intake. Children are the common victims of accidental poisoning at home. Therefore, proper safekeeping at home is vital in preventing this from happening.

When an individual is accidentally poisoned, it often targets the digestive and nervous system. Hence, symptoms can range from disorientation, drowsy feeling, inability to follow movements with the eye, vomiting, and many other classic signs of poisoning. When any of these signs are detected, it is important to find medical assistance and administer proper first aid treatment methods.

Preventing Accidental Poisoning

The old saying “prevention is better than cure” holds true in the case of poisoning. Although there are modern medicines that are able to reverse the conditions caused by poisoning and cure it effectively, it is better to keep your children away from harm as much as you can.

• If you have chemical products and other hazardous substances at home, keep them away from the reach of children.
• Store your medicines and chemical products away from food or other food products.
• If you are going to use containers for storing delicate and dangerous substances, label them properly.
• Never take medicines that are outdated and take note of proper dosage instructions.
• Avoid taking medicines in front of children, if possible. Young children are known to imitate adult behavior. This tip must also go hand in hand with storing medicines properly to keep them out of children's reach.
• Always return medicines and chemical substances to their respective storage after using them.

First Aid Tips for Different Poisoning Methods

There are several harmful substances that could poison your child, even at your very own home. So, prevention is a bigger emphasis more than treatment.

However, if your child has already suffered from accidental poisoning, you will need to learn a few basic and important first aid treatment options to revive your child's health and save their life.

Treating Swallowed Poisons

In case your child accidentally swallows poisonous materials, here is what you should do:

• Immediately call the poison center and report the situation.
• Avoid administering medicines or giving your child a drink until you have reported the situation or without professional advice. Doing so could worsen your child's condition.
• Avoid forcing your child to vomit, unless advised by the physician whom you called at the poison center.

Treating Inhaled Poisons

Poison could also be airborne. Hence, you need to apply a different first aid approach to such cases when your child or either one of your family inhales poison accidentally:

• Readily transfer the victim to an area that allows fresh air.
• Immediately call the poison center and report the incident.

Treating Poisoned Skin

Poison could affect the patient's skin when an individual comes in direct contact with the harmful substance. Therefore, you have to know exactly what type of first aid treatment to administer your child in case this happens.

• As with any other type of accidental poisoning, call the poison center immediately.
• Remove any article of clothing that has been contaminated with poison.
• Using a running water, rinse off the poisoned area for about 10 minutes.

Treating Poison on Eyes

In worse case scenario, the poison can get inside the patient's eyes. This is more likely to happen with children due to their curiosity. To avoid further damage from eye poison, you must follow the first aid tips below:

• Immediately call the poison center to report the incident.
• Flush running or lukewarm water into the eye of the patient for at least 15 minutes. Ideal source of water should run about 2-4 inches above the eye.

Contacting Emergency Personnel

When contacting emergency personnel in cases of accidental poisoning at your household, the information you provide is vital in the recovery and treatment of the victim. Here is a short list of information that you must provide when you make that call:

• name, address, and contact details
• report the immediate problem
• provide details about the person who was accidentally poisoned such as age, gender, etc.
• describe the condition of the person who was poisoned – indicate symptoms such as vomiting, appearance of skin, choking, conscious or unconsciousness
• provide details about the substance taken – name, period since taken, and at what amount