General Principles
The diagnosis of poisoning may be simplified if one of the following factors point to the probable cause:
· the circumstances of the incident, e.g. a leakage of chemicals;
· the nature of the illness, and its relationship in time to recent exposure to chemicals;
· the epidemiological aspects, e.g. if more than one person is involved and all develop a similar illness.
It must be realized however that:
· the effects of some poisons resemble those of natural illness, e.g. vomiting and diarrhoea, or collapse;
· because a ship is carrying a cargo of chemicals it does not follow that the cargo is responsible for the illness (this is, in fact, unlikely unless there is evidence of a leakage);
· different individuals may be exposed to the poison at different times, or to a different extent during a single episode, and they may as a result become ill at different times or to different degrees;
· individuals react differently to poisons according to their health, their constitution, and the extent to their exposure to the poison.
The general symptoms of poisoning include:
- headache
- nausea and vomiting
- drowsiness
- changes in mental behavior
- unconsciousness
- convulsions
- pain.
Signs of severe poisoning are as follows:
A rapid and weak pulse
Grey or blue colour of the skin
Severe difficulty in breathing
A prolonged period of unconsciousness