Poisoning at Home: Prevention and First Steps

What poisons people at home

The usual culprits in a household are medicines taken in doses that are too high, cleaning products such as laundry powder and furniture polish, pesticides, petroleum products including kerosene and petrol, carbon monoxide from gas appliances, and some plants and metals. Children are at particular risk because they explore by mouth, and unintentional medicine overdose is a leading reason young children reach emergency departments.

Signs of poisoning

Symptoms depend on the substance and can take hours or even days to appear. They may include feeling or being sick, diarrhoea, drowsiness, blurred vision and a high temperature. More serious signs are confusion, difficulty breathing, seizures and loss of consciousness. Burns or pain around the mouth, an unusual chemical smell on the breath, or an open bottle beside a child are all strong clues.

What to do first

1. Get the person away from the source, for example out into fresh air if fumes are involved, without putting yourself at risk.
2. Arrange medical help immediately. Do not drive yourself; ask someone else to drive, or call for an ambulance.
3. If the person is unresponsive and not breathing, start CPR if you have been trained.
4. If they are unconscious but breathing, place them in the recovery position, on their side with the airway open.
5. Look around for packaging, bottles, blister packs or plant material to work out what was taken.
6. Take some of the substance or its container with you to show the doctors, along with any medicines the person normally takes.
7. Be ready to say what it was, roughly how much, and when it happened.

For chemicals on the skin or in the eye, remove contaminated clothing and rinse the area with plenty of running water while help is on the way.

What not to do

• Do not try to make the person sick. Vomiting can cause more damage, especially with corrosive cleaners and with kerosene or petrol, which can be breathed into the lungs.
• Do not give anything to eat or drink, including milk, salt water or home remedies, unless a health professional tells you to.
• Do not wait to see if symptoms appear before getting help.
• Do not drive yourself to hospital after swallowing something harmful.
• Do not throw away the container, the vomit or the packaging, as these help doctors identify the substance.
• Do not tell children that medicine is sweets or candy to get them to take it.

Preventing poisoning at home

Store medicines and chemicals out of the reach and sight of children, ideally in a locked cupboard, and put them away every single time rather than leaving them on a counter. Choose a storage place children cannot reach or see, and always relock the cap on a medicine bottle. Keep vitamins and supplements, including gummies, out of reach as well.

Keep cleaning products, kerosene and pesticides in their original, labelled containers. Never decant kerosene or a chemical into a soft drink bottle or a cup, because that is how many children are poisoned. Use and store every product exactly as its label says. Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in rooms with gas appliances, and have those appliances serviced. Dispose of expired medicines rather than keeping them.

When to get emergency help

Act immediately if you think you, a child or anyone else may have swallowed, touched or breathed in something harmful, even if they look well. call Rescue 1122 where available, or go to the nearest hospital emergency department. Call for an ambulance at once if the person loses consciousness, stops breathing, has severe difficulty breathing, has a seizure, is very drowsy or confused, or has burns around the mouth. Never delay because you are unsure whether the amount was enough to matter.