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Poisoning - first aid.

Poisoning occurs when toxic substances enter the body in high doses that are unacceptable for the normal functioning of organs. Toxic substances can be found in food and drinks (they talk about food poisoning or alcohol poisoning ); get into the body with pharmaceuticals (drug overdose); be an independent toxic substance mistakenly taken internally ( poisoning with pesticides and other chemical compounds), get into the respiratory system in the form of gases or vapors, regardless of the person's desire (poisoning with carbon monoxide or other volatile compounds), get into the digestive system when eating plants and mushrooms (poisoning with mushrooms and poisonous plants). And also the toxin can enter the body when it comes into contact with a toxic substance through the skin.

Poisoning is chronic and acute. Chronic poisoning is said to be when the body regularly receives a toxic substance in small doses (for example, in production or when consuming stale food, alcoholic beverages), sufficient to have a detrimental effect on organs or organ systems. Chronic poisoning, as a rule, proceeds slowly with poorly expressed symptoms and cannot be detected until a certain period of time, when either the body begins to malfunction, or the dose of accumulated toxin reaches a critical level and manifests itself in the form of symptoms of acute poisoning.

For acute poisoning is characterized by rapidly increasing symptoms that fit the common cases of poisoning. Such symptoms can last from a few minutes to several hours or days and can be fatal if not provided promptly.

Common signs of poisoning:

Nausea
Vomiting
Heartburn
Dizziness (loss of consciousness)
Headache
Stomach pain

Bowel pain

Diarrhea (rapid dehydration of the body)

Temperature rise

Weakness

Convulsions

Malfunctions of the cardiovascular system (increased heart rate, arrhythmia, a sharp drop in pressure, slowing heart rate)

Poisoning - first aid:

Call an ambulance (There are toxins, the elimination of which from the body requires taking specific antidotes , and the time elapsed before taking these antidotes is of great importance!)
If the victim is conscious, interview him about the intake of food, drugs, drinks and possible causes of poisoning
Flush the stomach with water or saline at room temperature
Collect vomit or the first portion of the wash solution in a container for the analysis of the determination of poison
Drink an adsorbent (activated carbon - it will not help with all types of poisoning, since there are substances that do not interact with it)
If the victim is unconscious, and there is no way to question him about the causes of the poisoning, then it is necessary to collect by the ambulance arrival possible items that caused the poisoning (leftover drugs or empty packages from under them, bottles with an undefined liquid near the victim, food leftovers and etc)

It should be noted that acute poisoning by symptoms can resemble diseases: dysentery, salmonellosis, rotavirus gastroenteritis , stomach ulcers, acute surgical diseases (for example, appendicitis ), acute gastritis and others. But, as a rule, it is impossible to differentiate such diseases outside a medical institution, since tests are needed to identify the pathogen, and this requires a certain amount of time. Therefore, in doubtful cases with similar symptoms, the victim should be immediately taken to the hospital.

Prevention of poisoning.

All preventive measures are aimed at adhering to a set of rules.

Firstly, the sanitary standards for the consumption of food and drinks, medicines, that is, you should carefully study the shelf life of the product or medicine on the packaging, wash the products thoroughly before use, and, if necessary, carry out appropriate heat treatment.

Secondly, when working with poisonous substances, it is necessary to follow all the precautions and safety rules developed for such cases. Thirdly, you should not eat unfamiliar or questionable plants and mushrooms.

Fourth, be careful when drinking drinks - read labels with inscriptions (do not store reagents and technical chemicals in containers for drinks).

Fifth, keep medicines and chemicals out of the reach of children.