Diagnosis of poisoning

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