1 Why do watermelons become hazardous to health?

Causes of poisoning with watermelons:

1. To accelerate the ripening of these large berries in the soil are introduced fertilizers, which include many nitrogen salts. Harmful compounds - nitrates and nitrites - accumulate and enter water and food products, and then into the human body. If their concentration is normal, then the body itself copes with their excretion, otherwise intoxication occurs. Then you need medical help.
2. Violation of the rules of storage and transportation leads to the emergence of various harmful microorganisms in berries, dangerous for humans. Often before they get on the table, watermelons can lie for a long time in the sun and sour, they form breakdown products.
3. Disease germs enter the body through unwashed hands.

Children under 10 years old and elderly people with chronic diseases and those with low body resistance are most often poisoned. In addition, they have worse toxic compounds naturally.

2 Symptoms of poisoning

Some symptoms of poisoning may appear in an hour, others - after 5-6 hoursafter eating a poor quality product.

Symptoms:

• nausea, vomiting;
• abdominal pain, spasms;
• diarrhea( up to 10-15 times a day);
• hyperthermia( body overheating);
• dizziness and headaches;
• malaise and weakness in the whole body;
• rapid pulse.

The circulatory and nervous system may be affected. In this case, the blue lips, the tips of the fingers and toes are characteristic. The patient will be difficult to breathe and move, his blood pressure will drop dramatically. Other signs - tachycardia, impaired consciousness, convulsions.

Poisoning will affect the condition of internal organs. There is a risk of damage to the integrity of the gastric mucosa. This will be seen by bleeding, black discharge. Hemorrhagic shock is possible.

When the liver function is increased the amount of bilirubin in the blood, yellowing of the skin, mucous membranes of the mouth, eye sclera occurs.

The patient has a retardation, a decrease in concentration. He ceases to adequately assess what is happening, including his condition, refuses medical help, may be in a state of euphoria.

3 First aid and treatment

When poisoning with watermelon, first of all, it's easy nausea. But if everything is done correctly, then it will not come to more serious consequences.

As soon as it starts to get nauseated, you must induce vomiting. After that, you should drink a liter of water at room temperature, and after 10 minutes take 4 tablets of activated charcoal. If this does not help and the condition worsens, you do not need to risk your health. Treat this condition should a doctor, you should call an ambulance.

For severe poisoning, you will need to drink water( it can be mineral) with the addition of potassium permanganate and salt in a large volume - up to 3 liters, but in small portions. Then it is necessary to induce vomiting. Purification in this way should be continued until clean water begins to emerge without impurities.

Only after this it will be necessary to take sorbents that will absorb and remove toxins from the body. The most effective are:

• Smecta;
• Sorbent;
• White coal.

Activated carbon is recommended for taking 1 tablet per 10 kg of weight.

If the patient had severe poisoning, then rehydration is required - active fluid replenishment in the body to activate the kidneys. Effective drug Regidron - a crystalline powder of white color, which after dilution becomes colorless. Its structural analogues are Hydrovit, Hydrovit forte.

To get a solution, you need to boil water and add 1 packet of medicine. The sodium and potassium salts available in the preparation will help maintain the ionic balance of the body.

The solution can be prepared by yourself. This will require:

• ¾ tsp.salts;
• 4 tbsp.l. Sahara;
• 1 glass of orange juice;
• 1 glass of water.

You can give a patient to drink simple tea in small portions.

The enema is put.

Do not take painkillers and preparations against diarrhea, as they do not contribute to the removal of poisons from the intestine.

If after such treatment the symptoms do not go away, you should contact the polyclinic.

4 How to help the baby?

Children with poisoning with watermelon symptoms will be the same as in adults. But the children quickly become dehydrated because of the small amount of blood, the underdevelopment of the mechanisms of detoxification.

Immediately call an ambulance or take the child to the hospital. Dehydration in nursing infants with non-urgent can have a tragic outcome.

An immediate call of an ambulance is required at the following signs:

• increase in body temperature up to 39 ° C;
• lowering of blood pressure;
• shortness of breath;
• impaired vision;
• increased frequency of vomiting and diarrhea;
• impaired consciousness;
• trembling and sweating;
• convulsions.

Symptoms occur within 2 days after the watermelon has been eaten. In difficult cases, the child can become blue-lipped lips and nails. Poisoning by watermelon can be masked for toxic pneumonia. When the first symptoms of an illness in a child cause vomiting. To do this, it is necessary to give the baby a salt solution( 2-4 teaspoons of salt per 1 glass of warm water).

If there is a disturbance in consciousness, you do not need to induce vomiting.

If the child is older than 5 years, then you can give him more liquid to wash the stomach.

After this, the baby should be given mineral water without gas or a special solution of Regidron, but in small portions. You can give Sorbent, make an enema. If there are spasms, No-shpa will help.

Parents should remember that children under one year should not eat watermelon. Be wary of eating it and nursing mothers, since toxins can easily pass into breast milk. Kids are given a delicacy of not more than 100-150 grams per time.

5 What should I do not to get poisoned?

Rules that help avoid poisoning:

• refrain from buying a watermelon in the early summer or late autumn;
• to buy the product you need in proven locations, not from random merchants;
• does not cut berries on the market, because germs can get into the pulp;
• before eating you need to wash berries and hands;
• bought a watermelon should immediately eat, and not store for longer than a day in the refrigerator;
• should not be used if the flesh is fibrous and streaky;
• not to buy cracked or notched berries and those that have a suspicious color and smell on the cut;.
• does not eat the flesh near the peel, where harmful substances accumulate.

Especially careful it is necessary to be pregnant women and children who suffer poisoning is more difficult.

If the treatment is started on time, then complications after the removal of symptoms of poisoning usually does not happen. With significant intoxication chronic kidney and liver disease may become aggravated, residual symptomatology of brain function disorders.

After the patient has overcome the ailment, he will need to follow a diet. Should be abandoned fatty foods, smoked products, alcoholic beverages. It is recommended to drink green tea, eat more fruits and vegetables.

6 Choosing a useful watermelon

When buying juicy goodies, you must follow the following rules:

1. Preference to give a large berry, but not heavy.
2. The tails of the fetus should be dry.
3. When pressing, a crunch must be heard, while tapping a muffled sound. This speaks of ripeness.

To learn about the presence of nitrates in a berry, you need to put a piece of pulp into the water. If the water turns pink, then in the melon culture there are harmful substances.

Poisoning with watermelon in summer and in autumn is a frequent occurrence. But this does not mean that you need to refuse the berries. Observing the above rules, you can not be afraid of unpleasant consequences. If the poisoning has occurred, then you need to give the victim first aid, take the necessary drugs. As a last resort - contact a specialist.

Eat quality and healthy products, they will saturate the body with the necessary vitamins and trace elements!