How to Help Someone Who Has Swallowed Gasoline
Stay with the victim and help him remain calm., Do not encourage the victim to try to vomit up the gasoline., Give the victim a glass of water or juice to drink after rinsing the mouth with water., Contact your local poison control center and...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Stay with the victim and help him remain calm.
Reassure him that people ingest small amounts of gasoline all the time, and are usually just fine.
Encourage the victim to take deep, calming breaths and relax., Small amounts of gasoline causes little harm once it reaches the stomach, but inhaling even a few drops of gasoline into the lungs can cause serious respiratory problems.
Vomiting greatly increases the chances that a person will aspirate (inhale) gasoline into his lungs, and must be avoided.If the victim vomits spontaneously, help him to lean forward to prevent aspiration.
Have him rinse his mouth with water after vomiting and immediately contact Poison Control and Emergency Services., Encourage him to drink slowly to avoid coughing or choking.
If the victim is not conscious or able to drink on his own, do not try to administer fluids and call Emergency Services immediately.
Do not give the victim milk unless directed to do so by the Poison Control center, as milk can cause the body to absorb the gasoline more quickly.Carbonated beverages should also be avoided, as they may make the burping worse.
Avoid drinking alcohol for at least 24 hours. , In the United States, the number is 1-800-222-1222.
If the victim is experiencing acute distress, including coughing, difficulty breathing, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, or anything more severe, call Emergency Services right away., The victim should remove any clothing that came in contact with the gasoline.
Set the clothing aside and rinse any affected skin with plain water for 2-3 minutes, then wash with mild soap.
Rinse the skin again thoroughly and dry., Gasoline and gasoline vapors are extremely flammable, and smoking could lead to a fire.
Cigarette smoke can also exacerbate any damage done to the victim's lungs by the gasoline., This could continue for as little as 24 hours to as long as several days.
Drinking extra fluids may help provide relief to the victim and help the gasoline pass through his system faster.
If the victim starts to feel worse at any point, take him to the doctor for further evaluation. , Gasoline-stained clothing poses a fire hazard, and should be left outside to air dry for at least 24 hours, giving the fumes a chance to evaporate before being laundered.
Wash the clothes separately from other clothing in hot water.
Adding ammonia or baking soda to the wash may help remove the gasoline.
Air dry the affected clothing to see if the gas smell is gone and repeat the washing process if needed.Do not put clothing that still smells like gasoline into a clothes dryer; it could combust!! , The first priority is to make sure that the victim does not ingest any more gasoline.
If the victim is unconscious, proceed directly to Step
3. , If you suspect that your child has swallowed gasoline but don't know how much, treat this as an emergency situation and call Emergency Services immediately. , Explain the situation in as much detail as you can.
If the victim is a child, make it very clear that you require immediate assistance. , If the victim is conscious, reassure him that help is on the way, and do not encourage vomiting.
If the person seems able, offer him water to drink, and help him remove any gasoline-covered clothing and rinse any gasoline from his skin.
If person vomits, help him lean forward, or turn his head to the side to prevent choking and aspiration., Roll the victim onto his back, and begin chest compressions.
For each compression, push down on the center of the victim's chest 2 inches (5.1 cm), or 1/3 to 1/2 the depth of the chest.
Give 30 rapid compressions at a rate of about 100 per minute.
Then tilt the victim's head back, and lift his chin.
Pinch the victim's nose, and blow into his mouth until you see him chest rise.
Give two breaths that each last about 1 second, and then another series of chest compressions.Repeat the cycle of 30 chest compressions and two breaths until the victim recovers or help arrives.
If you are on the phone with emergency services, the operator will coach you through the process of administering CPR.
The Red Cross now recommends that CPR should be administered to a child in the same way it is given to adults, with the exception that in an infant or small child, the compressions should only be 1 1⁄2 inches (3.8 cm) deep instead of 2 inches. -
Step 2: Do not encourage the victim to try to vomit up the gasoline.
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Step 3: Give the victim a glass of water or juice to drink after rinsing the mouth with water.
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Step 4: Contact your local poison control center and explain the situation.
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Step 5: Help the victim get any gasoline off of his skin.
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Step 6: Make sure the victim does not smoke for at least 72 hours
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Step 7: and do not smoke around the victim.
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Step 8: Reassure the victim that burping up gasoline fumes is normal.
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Step 9: Launder any gasoline stained clothing.
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Step 10: Get the gasoline away from the person.
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Step 11: Assume that a child who has swallowed any amount of gasoline is in danger.
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Step 12: Call Emergency Services.
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Step 13: Monitor the victim closely.
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Step 14: If the victim stops breathing
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Step 15: coughing or moving
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Step 16: and does not respond to your voice
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Step 17: begin CPR immediately.
Detailed Guide
Reassure him that people ingest small amounts of gasoline all the time, and are usually just fine.
Encourage the victim to take deep, calming breaths and relax., Small amounts of gasoline causes little harm once it reaches the stomach, but inhaling even a few drops of gasoline into the lungs can cause serious respiratory problems.
Vomiting greatly increases the chances that a person will aspirate (inhale) gasoline into his lungs, and must be avoided.If the victim vomits spontaneously, help him to lean forward to prevent aspiration.
Have him rinse his mouth with water after vomiting and immediately contact Poison Control and Emergency Services., Encourage him to drink slowly to avoid coughing or choking.
If the victim is not conscious or able to drink on his own, do not try to administer fluids and call Emergency Services immediately.
Do not give the victim milk unless directed to do so by the Poison Control center, as milk can cause the body to absorb the gasoline more quickly.Carbonated beverages should also be avoided, as they may make the burping worse.
Avoid drinking alcohol for at least 24 hours. , In the United States, the number is 1-800-222-1222.
If the victim is experiencing acute distress, including coughing, difficulty breathing, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, or anything more severe, call Emergency Services right away., The victim should remove any clothing that came in contact with the gasoline.
Set the clothing aside and rinse any affected skin with plain water for 2-3 minutes, then wash with mild soap.
Rinse the skin again thoroughly and dry., Gasoline and gasoline vapors are extremely flammable, and smoking could lead to a fire.
Cigarette smoke can also exacerbate any damage done to the victim's lungs by the gasoline., This could continue for as little as 24 hours to as long as several days.
Drinking extra fluids may help provide relief to the victim and help the gasoline pass through his system faster.
If the victim starts to feel worse at any point, take him to the doctor for further evaluation. , Gasoline-stained clothing poses a fire hazard, and should be left outside to air dry for at least 24 hours, giving the fumes a chance to evaporate before being laundered.
Wash the clothes separately from other clothing in hot water.
Adding ammonia or baking soda to the wash may help remove the gasoline.
Air dry the affected clothing to see if the gas smell is gone and repeat the washing process if needed.Do not put clothing that still smells like gasoline into a clothes dryer; it could combust!! , The first priority is to make sure that the victim does not ingest any more gasoline.
If the victim is unconscious, proceed directly to Step
3. , If you suspect that your child has swallowed gasoline but don't know how much, treat this as an emergency situation and call Emergency Services immediately. , Explain the situation in as much detail as you can.
If the victim is a child, make it very clear that you require immediate assistance. , If the victim is conscious, reassure him that help is on the way, and do not encourage vomiting.
If the person seems able, offer him water to drink, and help him remove any gasoline-covered clothing and rinse any gasoline from his skin.
If person vomits, help him lean forward, or turn his head to the side to prevent choking and aspiration., Roll the victim onto his back, and begin chest compressions.
For each compression, push down on the center of the victim's chest 2 inches (5.1 cm), or 1/3 to 1/2 the depth of the chest.
Give 30 rapid compressions at a rate of about 100 per minute.
Then tilt the victim's head back, and lift his chin.
Pinch the victim's nose, and blow into his mouth until you see him chest rise.
Give two breaths that each last about 1 second, and then another series of chest compressions.Repeat the cycle of 30 chest compressions and two breaths until the victim recovers or help arrives.
If you are on the phone with emergency services, the operator will coach you through the process of administering CPR.
The Red Cross now recommends that CPR should be administered to a child in the same way it is given to adults, with the exception that in an infant or small child, the compressions should only be 1 1⁄2 inches (3.8 cm) deep instead of 2 inches.
About the Author
Sharon Lee
Specializes in breaking down complex pet care topics into simple steps.
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