Emergency? Call 112 now. Dispatchers will guide you through these steps on the phone.
Poisoning can come from medicines, household chemicals, plants, carbon monoxide, alcohol or drugs. Fast expert advice changes outcomes.
- Ensure safety. For gas or fumes, get the person into fresh air without endangering yourself.
- Call for help. If the person is unresponsive, having a seizure or struggling to breathe, call your emergency number. Otherwise call your national poison information centre — many countries run free 24/7 lines.
- Identify the substance: keep the container, packaging or plant, and note how much and when.
- Do not induce vomiting or give anything by mouth unless a professional tells you to.
- Chemicals on skin or eyes: rinse with lots of running water for at least 15–20 minutes.
- Opioid overdose: if naloxone is available and the person is unresponsive with slow or absent breathing, give it per instructions, call for help and start CPR if needed.
Carbon monoxide is invisible and odourless. Headaches, nausea and drowsiness affecting several people in the same building — especially with fuel-burning heaters — should prompt everyone to get outside and call for help. Install CO alarms.
Last reviewed October 22, 2026 against current public guidance from national resuscitation councils and Red Cross / Red Crescent first-aid manuals. General education only — not a substitute for certified training or professional medical advice. Medical disclaimer · Suggest a correction