What Should You Do if You Suspect a Poisoning?

If you suspect a poisoning, you need to act quickly. When you know the source of the toxic exposure, use the guidelines below to plan your response. Poisonous Fumes or Gases Immediately carry or drag the person to fresh air. Minimize your exposure to the fumes. If the...

Activated Charcoal

Activated Charcoal is a light, finely divided, tasteless, black powder that “ties-up” the poison and keeps the poison from hurting your body. Activated charcoal has been found to be the best first aid choice for many poisons. But it does NOT work on every poison. If...

Who is Susceptible to Lead Poisoning?

Children are most vulnerable to lead poisoning for the reasons listed below. The brain and neurological system of children continues to develop for several years after birth. Lead interferes with this developmental growth. Young children are frequently putting objects...

Warning Signs of Cardiac Arrest

Cardiac arrest can occur without easily recognizable symptoms and a person may appear to just “drop.” If the arrest is a result of a heart attack, the victim may have experienced severe, “crushing” chest pain beforehand, or may have only experienced vague symptoms,...

Measuring the Strength of a Tornado

According to the NOAA’s National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center website (http://www.spc.noaa.gov), The Fujita Scale, designed to measure the intensity and area of a tornado, was introduced in 1971. Since then, the F-Scale has become a part of the record of...

The Aftermath of a Tornado

Since tornadoes are often spawned from thunderstorms, there is usually a heavy downpour of rain after the tornado passes, even though there may be no rain present during the actual tornado. Flooding is a very real possibility. There may also be damaging hail. Often,...