Self-Care at Home

Cyanide poisoning can not be treated at home. Immediate medical attention is always required.

• If there is a fire, make sure that you or others are not in danger from smoke or fumes.

• Then call 911 or have someone else call 911. Speak calmly and clearly state your address, name, and what has happened. As with all first aid treatment, be sure that no one is in danger.

• Check the area for fires, potentially poisonous fumes, smoke, and spilled chemicals. The victim's clothes and body can also be sources of danger if the cyanide is still on the victim.

• If you or others near the victim feel that CPR is necessary, begin the assessment, but do perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the victim without barrier protection because the person providing CPR can absorb cyanide in this manner. CPR can be performed without mouth-to-mouth contact if a protection barrier is not available. If you do not know CPR, lay the person on the floor, preferably on his or her left side.

• Look around for pill bottles, chemical bottles, or open fires, because these could be responsible for the poisoning and knowledge of these will help the medical team treat the victim.