When poisons get into the body, its organs malfunction, which can lead to serious consequences. Poisoning is a violation of the vital functions of the body due to toxic substances. This poses a threat to human health and even life. Poisoning is a common occurrence in modern life. And it’s not always possible to immediately see a doctor. Therefore, it is important to know the symptoms of poisoning and the principles of first aid.
Causes of the prevalence of poisoning
This problem has existed at all times: a person could accidentally be poisoned by mushrooms or carbon monoxide, and a worker in harmful chemical production. However, today chemistry itself has firmly entered everyday life, and the likelihood of poisoning has increased many times with the increase in the number of household chemicals. The use of chemistry in everyday life has become so commonplace that people do not even think about the potential danger of all these detergents, preparations for chemical plant protection or the control of harmful insects. Sometimes these substances are stored in the house in places easily accessible to children. Some of them are odorless now, for example, dichlorvos, which is used as a remedy for flies.
The uncontrolled use of medications is also a danger. It is difficult to navigate in the huge assortment of drugs that currently exist, and each of them has its own adverse reactions, which largely depend on the individual characteristics of the body. Medication should be prescribed by a qualified doctor after making the correct diagnosis, which does not always happen in reality.
Systematics of poisoning
A single classification of poisoning is not accepted due to the variety of toxic substances, their origin and chemical composition, the method of entry into the body and the mechanism of action, severity and so on. Symptoms of administration also depend on the type of toxin, however, there are general signs by which the phenomenon of intoxication can be established - nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and fever, and others. According to the method of entry into the body, there are:
- inhaled - intake of poisons during breathing;
- oral, if toxic substances enter the mouth;
- percutaneous, upon receipt of toxins through the pores of the skin or wounds;
- injectable.
By the nature of the effect of toxins on the body, there are:
- acute poisoning, which is characterized by a pronounced reaction of the body with a single action of toxins;
- subacute intoxications, with less severe symptoms and arising from many contacts with toxic substances;
- super-sharp, their consequence is the death of the victim;
- chronic poisoning occurs with a gradual intake of poisons into the body in small doses and does not have sufficiently pronounced symptoms.
By types of toxic substances, poisoning can be divided into several groups.
Carbon monoxide and gas poisoning
Carbon monoxide is called carbon monoxide - it is a gas without color and odor, which determines its extreme danger - a person does not even feel gas poisoning, while he instantly begins his destructive work. Carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin much faster than oxygen, forming carboxyhemoglobin, which blocks the flow of oxygen to the cells. By binding to a protein of the heart muscle, carbon monoxide suppresses cardiac activity, and its participation in the oxidative processes of the body violates the biochemical balance.
Lighter gas is a mixture of combustible gases, consisting mainly of hydrogen and methane with an admixture of carbon monoxide up to 8-14%. It is formed in production during oil or coal refining. Until the beginning of the last century, rooms were lit with luminous gas. It was also used as fuel. Sources of toxic substances, which are carbon monoxide, can be:
- large fires;
- production where carbon monoxide can be involved in the synthesis of many organic substances;
- exhaust gases on highways;
- gasified rooms with poor ventilation;
- home, bath stoves and fireplaces with closed columns.
Gas poisoning immediately causes a severe headache. Severe poisoning can result in death. As a PMF, in case of poisoning, you need to quickly take a person to fresh air and call an ambulance, and if necessary, make artificial respiration.
Food poisoning
These include a number of diseases that are characterized by common signs:
- unexpected and acute onset of the disease;
- the relationship between the occurrence of the disease and the use of a particular product;
- lack of signs characteristic of infection;
- the development of the disease simultaneously in a group of individuals;
- a short time interval for the duration of the disease.
Thus, food poisoning is often an acute non-contagious disease caused by a product containing a toxic substance. Food poisoning by origin is divided into three types:
- microbial arising from the use of products containing microorganisms or their toxins;
- non-microbial are caused by plants or animals that are poisonous in nature or under certain circumstances;
- food poisoning of unknown nature.
Symptoms of administration, regardless of the nature of the toxin, are manifested by chills, weakness, vomiting, fever, diarrhea.
Food Poisoning Measures
The nature of the treatment for food poisoning depends on how quickly and accurately the diagnosis is made and the first measures are taken. More often they are treated at home. At the first sign of malaise, you should rinse your stomach. If poisoning occurs in an adult, he needs to drink about two liters of a weak solution of potassium permanganate or a solution of baking soda in order to induce vomiting and empty the stomach. To absorb toxins that have had time to absorb toxins in the stomach, the patient should be given activated charcoal. With diarrhea, there is a risk of dehydration, so you need plenty of water. If the temperature does not drop, and diarrhea and vomiting continue, you need to take the patient to the doctor.
Botulism, which causes damage to the central nervous system, also refers to food poisoning. The first sign is general weakness and dizziness, as well as bloating, although there is no diarrhea and the temperature is normal. If help is not provided quickly, the disease will progress rapidly and may lead to death within a few days. First aid (PMP) for poisoning is the same as for any food poisoning. However, the patient must enter a special serum against botulism, so he must be taken to the hospital immediately.
Pesticides poisoning
Today, weed control, harmful insects, rodents, which are used both in agriculture and in everyday life, have become very widespread. These substances are accompanied by instructions for use, which spells out the rules for their storage and use. However, a systematic violation of these rules, the manifestation of negligence when working with them, periodically leads to severe poisoning both in the workplace and in everyday life, where hazardous toxic chemicals are often stored in the house, without thinking about the probability of dire consequences.
Pesticides are organic compounds of chlorine, phosphorus, mercury, copper compounds or derivatives of carbamic acid. These substances can affect the internal organs by a different mechanism, however, in any case, the consequences will be most severe. Chemical poisoning gives such first signs as sweating, increased salivation, and an excited state. Then convulsions, vomiting can begin. The victim should be immediately taken to the doctor, and before that, provide first aid measures. If the poison gets on the skin, it is necessary to rinse this place with a stream of water. If a poisonous substance enters the body, gastric lavage should be done (provided that the person is conscious). The intestines can be cleaned with enemas. And to prevent the absorption of poison into the body, you need to give the victim sorbents - activated charcoal and enveloping substances, for example, Almagel, in its absence - starch.
Further measures to neutralize the poison should be taken already in the hospital, as the victim needs to enter an antidote, the choice of which depends on the type of poisonous substance. Chemical poisoning is a very dangerous phenomenon, so when working with pesticides you should not forget about safety rules and protective equipment.
Acid poisoning
If acid gets on your skin, rinse it quickly with a stream of cold water. If acid enters, a burn of the mucous membrane of the oral cavity, larynx, stomach occurs and acute pain immediately occurs. Usually poisoning occurs with 80% acetic acid, the symptoms of which are hoarseness, swelling of the lungs and suffocation. In addition to the burn, the poisonous substance is absorbed and affects the internal organs. In more severe cases, vomiting and temperature appear, acute pain in the stomach, which can cause shock, there is a risk of kidney failure and death.
First aid measures to the victim before the ambulance arrives consist in washing the stomach. It is necessary to carefully, in small portions, give him drink cold water, you can also swallow ice in small pieces, put it on your stomach. You can rinse the stomach with milk or water with egg whites - twelve proteins should be added per liter of milk. Washing with a two percent suspension of burnt magnesia is suitable, but in no case should a solution of baking soda be given - a chemical reaction will occur between the acid and soda with the formation of gases, the pressure of which on the walls of the damaged stomach can even lead to its rupture.
Alkali poisoning
In case of alkali poisoning, severe thirst, profuse salivation and vomiting appear. Since they have greater penetrating power, the burns are stronger and deeper. In severe cases, gastric bleeding or renal failure may occur. In case of ammonia poisoning, damage to the respiratory tract can also occur and, as a result, pulmonary edema. Assisting with alkali poisoning consists in washing the stomach with a large volume of water. Further assistance can only be provided by a doctor, so as soon as possible you need to deliver the victim to the hospital. In stationary conditions, washing is carried out using a probe with water or milk with egg proteins. This solution neutralizes the alkali. It can also be washed with weak solutions of citric or acetic acid.
Drug poisoning
Medications designed to cure the disease and restore health to a person themselves can cause severe intoxication. This poisoning will occur if a person has exceeded the dose indicated by the doctor, or confused the medication. Often people start taking drugs on their own, self-medicating. It happens that the drug gives a strong allergic reaction.
In all these cases, acute intoxication occurs, the severity and consequences of which depend on the type of medicine, the state of health of the victim, the dose taken and the time the substance has been exposed to the body. The first signs of poisoning are dizziness, abdominal pain, vomiting, and temperature. Then diarrhea, loss of consciousness can begin, then the condition of the victim will only worsen, unpredictable consequences are possible.
The answer to the question of what to do if poisoned with drugs depends on the active substance that caused the poisoning, since an antidote is required. Professional help can only be provided by a doctor, therefore, you should immediately call an ambulance. However, before her arrival, some urgent measures can be taken:
- if poisoning has occurred, it is necessary to give the patient to drink several glasses of warm water;
- artificially induce vomiting;
- if required, then gastric lavage should be repeated;
- after cleansing the stomach, it is necessary to give the victim several tablets of activated carbon;
- should give the victim a plentiful drink, you can two percent solution of baking soda.
A doctor should be called even if it seems that the poisoning is mild, as the condition of the victim may suddenly deteriorate sharply.
Alcohol poisoning
Alcohol poisoning is a toxic effect on the body of ethyl alcohol and its decay products. You can get poisoned with other alcohols - methyl, isopropyl and others, which are strong poisons, but this will already be chemical poisoning. Ethanol intoxication occurs gradually, as its concentration in the body increases, and it is impossible to determine its severity at home, so they usually focus on the stages of intoxication of a person, which are distinguished by three.
- The first stage is characterized by mild intoxication, in which the concentration of ethyl alcohol in human blood reaches two percent. Nevertheless, the initial symptoms of the effects of alcohol on the central nervous system are already noticeable - there is euphoria, the pupils are dilated, and speech becomes a little confused.
- The second stage begins with two to three percent ethanol in the blood. A person is no longer able to control his speech and movements, and in the morning he feels nausea, weakness and other signs of poisoning, including vomiting.
- The third stage is the most difficult, the concentration of alcohol in the blood becomes higher than three percent, which can lead to dangerous intoxication. In this state, respiratory failure, convulsions, up to cardiac arrest, can occur. It all depends on the amount of alcohol consumed and the body's defenses.
Alcohol intoxication is a very common phenomenon, and everyone should know what to do if poisoned with ethyl alcohol. If the condition is moderate, then you must induce vomiting, and then rinse the stomach with plenty of clean water without manganese or soda. After this, you should take any sorbents - you can immediately several tablets of coal.
In case of severe poisoning, the measures of assistance will be completely different - in no case should you induce vomiting so that the victim does not choke in it, gastric lavage is also excluded. It is urgent to call an ambulance, and while she arrives, provide the patient with all possible help - lay him on his side, clean the mouth from saliva, mucus, if necessary, make artificial respiration. Other necessary actions can only be carried out in a hospital.
Most of the poisoning is due to neglect of the requirements for storage or use of various toxic substances or compliance with sanitary standards for food products. To prevent poisoning, it is necessary first of all to public health education and control over the implementation of sanitary instructions.