What first-aid supplies should be available to treat someone who has ingested a poison?
Treatment depends on the type of poison or pills that have been swallowed. Your first act is to call the poison control hotline or the hospital emergency room. The professional on duty can give you advice on immediate treatment before you take the victim to the hospital. If the person is unconscious and vomiting, turn the head to the side so that the fluid drains out of the mouth and doesn’t cause choking. Do not induce vomiting in an unconscious person and never try to give an unconscious person liquids. Be prepared to keep the airway open and administer CPR if you have been trained and breathing has stopped. If the person is conscious, check with the professional to see if it is all right to give water or milk to drink to dilute the poison. But for the person who has swallowed an acid or a caustic substance, it is dangerous to drink anything. Do not induce vomiting if the person has ingested a corrosive substance. This may inflict more damage on the victim’s throat. Save the label or
