How to Treat Chemical Poisoning

Chemical poisoning occurs when you ingest a toxic chemical. Approximately 90 percent of chemical poisoning happens in your own home. Young children, especially toddlers, are at the greatest risk for accidental poisoning. Poisoning with household and garden products is easy to treat as long as a discovery and diagnoses occurs early on. Prevention is the best treatment for chemical poisoning, but failing that, follow these steps.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Seek medical attention if you suspect any type of chemical poisoning. The symptoms and treatment will always depend on the type of poisoning.

2. Remain calm. Do not panic if you suspect that you or someone else has ingested a dangerous chemical. Getting yourself worked up is not going to help anyone, especially the victim.

3. Ask the victim what the poisonous chemical is and what time ingestion occurred. If the victim is a small child you will have to figure out what was taken and when. Identifying the poison is critical in the treatment.

4. Call the poison control hotline. Keep the number near your home and workplace phones at all times in case of an emergency.

5. Give the dispatcher the following information: your name and phone number, the emergency location, the victim's age, condition and his weight. Have the containers or bottles of the product available while you are on the phone.

6. Follow the instructions given to you by 911 or the poison control hotline.

Tips & Warnings

• Always keep medicines and chemicals in their own containers.
• Keep all medicines and chemicals locked away from children.

Resources

• Visit Aapcc.org for the help line and poison control centers.

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