Poisons Health Dictionary

A poison is any substance which, if absorbed by, introduced into or applied to a living organism, may cause illness or death. The term ‘toxin’ is often used to refer to a poison of biological origin. Toxins are therefore a subgroup of poisons, but often little distinction is made between the terms. The study of the effects of poisons is toxicology and the effects of toxins, toxinology.

The concept of the dose-response is important for understanding the risk of exposure to a particular substance. This is embodied in a statement by Paracelsus (c.1493–1541): ‘All substances are poisons; there is none which is not a poison. The right dose di?erentiates a poison and a remedy.’

Poisoning may occur in a variety of ways: deliberate – SUICIDE, substance abuse or murder; accidental – including accidental overdose of medicines; occupational; and environmental

– including exposure during ?re.

Ingestion is the most common route of exposure, but poisoning may also occur through inhalation, absorption through the skin, by injection and through bites and stings of venomous animals. Poisoning may be described as acute, where a single exposure produces clinical effects with a relatively rapid onset; or chronic, where prolonged or repeated exposures may produce clinical effects which may be insidious in onset, cumulative and in some cases permanent.

Diagnosis of poisoning is usually by circumstantial evidence or elimination of other causes of the clinical condition of the patient. Some substances (e.g. opioids) produce a characteristic clinical picture in overdose that can help with diagnosis. In some patients laboratory analysis of body ?uids or the substance taken may be useful to determine or con?rm the o?ending agent. Routine assays are not necessary. For a very small number of poisons, such as paracetamol, aspirin, iron and lead, the management of the patient may depend on measuring the amount of poison in the bloodstream.

Accurate statistics on the incidence of poisoning in the UK are lacking. Mortality ?gures are more reliable than morbidity statistics; annually, well over 100,000 cases of poisoning are admitted to hospital. The annual number of deaths from poisoning is relatively small – about 300 – and in most cases patients die before reaching hospital. Currently, CARBON MONOXIDE (CO) is by far the most common cause of death due to poisoning. The most common agents involved in intentional or accidental poisoning are drugs, particularly ANALGESICS, ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS and SEDATIVES. Alcohol is also commonly taken by adults, usually in combination with drugs. Children frequently swallow household cleaners, white spirit, plant material – such as belladonna (deadly nightshade) and certain mushrooms; for example, death cap and ?y agaric – aftershave and perfume as well as drugs. If possible, the suspect container, drug or plant should be taken with the victim to the hospital or doctor. The use of child-resistant containers has reduced the number of admissions of children to hospital for treatment. Bixtrex® is an intensely bitter-tasting agent which is often added to products to discourage ingestion; however, not everybody is able to taste it, nor has any bene?cial e?ect been proven.

Treatment of poisoning usually begins with decontamination procedures. For ingested substances this may involve making the patient sick or washing the stomach out (GASTRIC LAVAGE): this is usually only worthwhile if performed soon after ingestion. It should be emphasised that salt (sodium chloride) water must never be given to induce vomiting, since this procedure is dangerous and has caused death. For substances spilt on the skin, the affected area should immediately be thoroughly washed and all contaminated clothing removed. Following eye exposure, the affected eye/s should be thoroughly irrigated with saline or water.

Treatment thereafter is generally symptomatic and supportive, with maintenance of the victim’s respiratory, neurological and cardiovascular systems and, where appropriate, monitoring of their ?uid and electrolyte balance and hepatic and renal function. There are speci?c antidotes for a few substances: the most important of these are PARACETAMOL, iron, cyanide (see CYANIDE POISONING), opioids (see OPIOID), DIGOXIN, insecticides and some heavy metals. Heavy-metal poisoning is treated with CHELATING AGENTS – chemical compounds that form complexes by binding metal ions: desferrioxamine and pencillinamine are two such agents. The number of people presenting with paracetamol overdose – a common drug used for attempted suicide – has fallen sharply since restrictions were placed on its over-thecounter sales.

When a patient presents with an illness thought to be caused by exposure to substances at work, further exposure should be limited or prevented and investigations undertaken to determine the source and extent of the problem. Acutely poisoned workers will usually go to hospital, but those suffering from chronic exposure may attend their GP with non-speci?c symptoms (see OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH, MEDICINE AND DISEASES).

In recent years, legislation has been enacted in the UK to improve safety in the workplace and to ensure that data on the hazardous constituents and effects of chemicals are more readily available. These o?cial controls include the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) and the Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging) Regulations (CHIP) and are UK legislation in response to European Union directives.

The National Poisons Information Service is a 24-hour emergency telephone service available to the medical profession and provides information on the likely effects of numerous agents and advice on the management of the poisoned patient. The telephone numbers are available in the medical literature. In the UK this is not a public-access service. People who believe they, or their relatives, have been poisoned should seek medical advice from their GPs or attend their local hospital.

Toxbase The National Poisons Information Service provides a primary clinical toxicology database on the Internet: www.spib.axl.co.uk. This website provides information about routine diagnosis, treatment and management of people exposed to drugs, household products and industrial and agricultural products.

(See also APPENDIX 1: BASIC FIRST AID.)