- The person is unconscious, very sleepy, or hard to wake
- Trouble breathing, or breathing has stopped
- A seizure, or they are very confused or agitated
- The person swallowed a strong chemical and is drooling, vomiting, or having trouble swallowing or breathing
Poison Help: 1-800-222-1222. It is free, private, and open 24 hours a day, every day. You can also get help online at poison.org. Experts there answer questions about medicines, chemicals, plants, bites, and more. You don’t have to wait for symptoms to call.
What to do
- Make sure you are safe. Don’t go into a room full of fumes or smoke.
- Call 911 for serious symptoms (see the red box above). Otherwise, call Poison Help.
- Have the container or label ready. Tell them what it was, how much, when it happened, and the person’s age and weight.
- Follow their instructions exactly.
First steps by type
- Swallowed: Remove anything left in the mouth. Don’t make the person throw up.
- On the skin: Take off any clothing that has the poison on it. Rinse the skin with running water for 15 to 20 minutes.
- In the eye: Rinse the eye with a gentle stream of lukewarm water for 15 to 20 minutes. Have the person blink while rinsing.
- Breathed in: Get the person to fresh air right away. Leave the area if you smell gas or fumes, or if a carbon monoxide alarm sounds.
Button batteries
Button batteries (small, round, coin-sized batteries) can burn through the throat or stomach in as little as 2 hours. If a child may have swallowed one, go to an emergency room right away and call Poison Control on the way for instructions. Don’t wait for symptoms. Honey on the way: if the child is 1 year or older, can swallow, and swallowed the battery within the last 12 hours, Poison Control advises giving 2 teaspoons (10 mL) of honey every 10 minutes, up to 6 doses, while you travel to the ER. Use it only if you have honey on hand. Never delay going to the ER to give honey, and don’t give any other food or drink. For expert advice, call the National Battery Ingestion Hotline at 1-800-498-8666 or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222.
Avoid
- Don’t give syrup of ipecac or try to make the person vomit.
- Don’t wait for symptoms before calling.
- Don’t trust the label alone to tell you what to do. Call Poison Help for advice on your situation.
- A child may have swallowed a button battery — go to the ER right away, even if they seem fine
- A child may have swallowed magnets — call Poison Help right away
- Poison Control tells you to go to an emergency room or see a doctor
- New symptoms start later, even if the person seemed fine at first