POISON

I

NG

POISON

- Substance that cause disturbance to organisms usually by chemical reaction

- Toxin poison- produced by some biological function in nature

POISONING CAUSES

- Medications are the most common cause of poisoning

- Medications most commonly linked to poisoning are:

Paracetamol Aspirin Calcium-channel blockers Opioids Tricyclic Antidepressants

- Household products are the second most common cause of poisoning

- These includes: Cleaning products (ex: bleach and

disinfectant) Cosmetics (ex. baby oil and

shampoo) DIY products (ex. glue and paint) Garden products (ex. weedkiller and rat

poison)

- Food can sometimes cause poisoning if:

It goes mouldy It becomes contaminated

with bacteria from raw meat

It has not cooked properly

- Kids under the age of six has the high risk of poisoning because they often put anything in their mouth without knowing that they are harmful

- As their bodies are smaller they are more vulnerable to the harmful effects of a certain substances

POISONING SYMPTOMS

- Mothers and caretakers should be aware of sudden and unexplained illness in young children, particularly if they are drowsy or unconscious

- General symptoms:- sickness, diarrhoea, stomach pain, drowsiness, high temperature in the body, chills,

loss of appetite, headache, irritability, difficulty swallowing, producing more saliva, skin rash, burns around the nose or mouth, double or blurred visions, seizures (fits) and coma (in some cases)

- Symptoms of medication overdose:

- In paracetamol: yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes

- In aspirin: rapid breathing and ringing in the ears

- In tricyclic antidepressants: dry mouth, large pupil, irregular heartbeat and low blood pressure

-In Calcium channel blockers: chest pain, low blood pressure, a low pulse rate, blue skin and breathing problems- In Opioids: small pupils, shallow breathing, blue skin and fluids on the lungs

POISONING TREATMENT

- What to do if someone has been poisoned:

- If they are unconscious, try to wake them up and encourage them to spit out any pills

- Do not give them anything to eat or drink

- Wipe any vomit in their mouth

- If you think someone has inhaled some poisonous fumes, remove the person from contaminated area

- Call some help- Check that the person’s

airway is open- If they are not breathing, do

CPR

- Help the medical staffs by giving detailed history about the incident

- Tell them any symptoms the victim has

- Hospital Treatments: Activated charcoal Antidotes Sedatives Ventilator (breathing

machine)

- Investigations may include blood test and an electrocardiogram

- Blood test can be used to check the chemicals and glucose levels in a person’s blood

- An electrocardiogram (ECG) is an electrical recording of the heart to check that it is functioning properly.