1. St John Ambulance Please note: Any deviation from the slides contained in the original presentation are not sanctioned by St John Ambulance. Individuals will be held personally liable for any information on additional slides added to this presentation.

2. POISONS

3. Poisons By the end of this session you will be able to:
describe how poisons can enter the body
respond appropriately to a poisoned casualty
give some examples of different sorts of poisons.

4. Poisons
Definition
A poison is any substance taken in sufficient quantity to cause damage to the body.

5. Poisons Poisons can enter the body in five ways:
absorbed through the skin
injected through the skin
inhaled
splashed in the eyes
swallowed

6. Poisons absorbed through the skin
What you should do:
remove any clothing with the poison on it
place the affected part under running water for at least 20 minutes
seek medical help
start CPR if necessary.

7. Poisons injected through the skin
What you should do:
treat for a bite or a sting if appropriate
dial 999 or 112 for an ambulance
if the casualty is unresponsive place them in the recovery position
start CPR if necessary.

8. Inhaled poisons What you should do:
if safe to do so, lead the casualty away from the source of poisonous fumes to fresh air
dial 999 or 112 for an ambulance
start CPR if necessary.

9. Poisons splashed in the eye
What you should do:
hold the affected eye under gently running cold water for at least 10 minutes
dial 999 or 112 for an ambulance
identify the poison if possible
start CPR if necessary.

10. Swallowed poisons What you should do: reassure the casualty
try and find out what the casualty has taken
dial 999 or 112 for an ambulance and monitor them
if the casualty’s lips or mouth are burning, give small sips of water or milk.

11. Warning labels