13 11 26 Poisons Information Centre
24 hours, 7 days, from anywhere in Australia. They advise on first aid and whether to go to hospital. Call 13 11 26
Collapsed, fitting, trouble breathing, or unconscious: call 000.
Source: Queensland Health Queensland Poisons Information Centre; ANZCOR 9.5.1 PoisoningPoisoning
- Remove the person from the poison, or the poison from them, without putting yourself at risk.
- Unresponsive: on their side. Not breathing normally: CPR.
- Find out what was taken, how much and when. Keep containers (and any vomit) and send them with the person.
- Call 13 11 26. Get a medical check even if it seems mild.
By type
- Swallowed: rinse the mouth out. Do not make them vomit. Don’t try to neutralise it.
- Breathed in: get them to fresh air if safe for you, open up the area. If you suspect a flammable gas, don’t touch switches.
- In the eye: flush for 15 minutes with saline or cold water, holding the eyelids open.
- On the skin: remove contaminated clothing (bag it), flood the skin with water, then wash with soap.
Button battery swallowed
- Suspect it if the battery is missing, a battery compartment is open, or the child is drooling, vomiting or has chest pain.
- Get medical care immediately.
- On the way, child over 1 year: 10 mL (2 teaspoons) of honey every 10 minutes. Under 1: use jam, not honey. Nothing by mouth if they are having trouble breathing or bleeding.
Heat illness
Signs: can’t carry on, high temperature, dizzy, nauseous, pale or dry skin, weak, confused or fitting. Not sweating is serious.
Source: ANZCOR 9.3.4 Heat-induced illness- Call an ambulance early. Get them into shade and remove excess clothing.
- Over 5 years: best is cold water up to the neck for 15 minutes. Otherwise wet them all over, ice packs to the groin, armpits, cheeks, palms and soles, keep the skin wet and fan them.
- 5 and under: tepid bath or sponge, keep the skin moist, fan.
- Fully awake: sips of cool water (or a sports drink after heavy exercise).
During a heatwave
- Drink 2 to 3 litres of water a day. Limit alcohol, sugary and caffeinated drinks.
- Stay indoors 10 am to 3 pm. Use fans or air-conditioning, or go to a cool public place.
- Never leave people or pets in a parked car. Check on older and vulnerable people.
- Heat exhaustion (pale, heavy sweating, fast weak pulse, fainting): cool place, wet cloths, sips of water.
- Heatstroke (confused, hot dry skin, fast pulse, unconscious): call 000.
Hypothermia
- Mild (32 to 35 °C): shivering, pale cool skin, clumsy, slurred speech.
- Moderate to severe: shivering stops, stiff muscles, confused, slow pulse.
- Severe (under 28 °C): may look dead. Start CPR if not breathing normally.
- Get them into shelter. Keep them lying flat and still. Remove wet clothes.
- Insulate (wool, blankets) and add a waterproof layer (plastic) to stop heat loss.
- If awake: warm sugary drinks and food. No alcohol, caffeine or nicotine.
- Warm them actively even if shivering: body-to-body (their back to your front), heat packs to the armpits, chest and back.
- Call for help. Watch your own temperature too.
Frostbite
- Remove rings and jewellery. Rewarm straight away (fingers in the armpits; feet against a companion’s belly).
- Don’t rub. No radiant heat (fire, heater). Don’t break blisters.
- Don’t walk on frostbitten feet; raise them. Don’t let it refreeze.
Full guidelines: Poisoning, Heat illness, Hypothermia (PDF). Plants, snakes, spiders, sea creatures: Dangerous Australian animals.