554 Appendix a: Safety and Emergencies
Swallowing chemicals:
• If the person is unconscious, lay her on her side and make sure she is
breathing.
• If the person is not breathing, quickly do mouth-to-mouth breathing
(see page 557). Mouth-to-mouth breathing can also expose you to the
chemical, so cover your mouth with a pocket mask, or a piece of cloth or
thick plastic wrap with a hole cut in the middle, before you start mouth-
to-mouth breathing.
• If the person can drink, give her lots of clean water.
• Find the chemical package and read the label right away. The label will
tell you if you should make the person vomit up the poison or not (see
page 257).
When chemicals spill on the body or clothing
• If it is safe, first move the injured person away from the chemical spill.
• Remove any clothing, shoes, or jewelry the chemical spilled on. Be
careful when removing pullover shirts or sweaters to prevent getting
chemicals in the eyes. It may be best to cut the clothes off.
• Wash the affected area with cool water for at least
15 minutes.
• If chemicals got into the eyes, rinse with clean
water for 15 minutes. Pull the eyelid away and
move the eyeball in a circle so the
entire eye is washed.
• If the person stops
breathing, use mouth‑to-
mouth breathing.
• Use a rag to soak up
chemicals, being careful
not to spread the chemicals
around.
• If the body is burned by chemicals, treat them like
ordinary burns (see page 555).
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012