Aids precautions should be used in suspected cyanide cases

12pm

Police and health officials say people with suspected cyanide poisoning should be treated with the same precautions used for Aids patients.

Police stepped up security yesterday in a national security alert after one of three letters sent to an embassy and two high commissions contained cyanide.

Three letters were sent to United States Embassy and the British and Australian high commissions. One contained cyanide, the other two contained a harmless powder but police have refused to say which letter contained the poison.

The letter warned of an escalation in terrorist activities should the looming war against Iraq go ahead. The America's Cup regatta in Auckland was also threatened.

A copy of the letter, also containing powder, was received by the New Zealand Herald. It was taken away by police. The substance was analysed and found to be harmless.

The incident prompted a national security warning from police who said people should take care with some prepared foods, be vigilant over packaging and food seals and be aware of the food they were eating or drinking.

Police also warned people to take extra care on public transport and look for anything unusual.

Police and Ministry of Health officials issued guidelines yesterday for dealing with sudden collapses and emergency health issues.

They said at mass public gatherings people could collapse for various reasons including sun stroke or a heart attack, and there would be a real risk of unnecessary death if resuscitation was not attempted.

The Ministry of Health said the same precautions should be used to protect people giving first aid as if they were dealing with an Aids patient, including the gloves or a one-way valve resuscitation mask usually carried in police cars.

Police said a licence was needed to buy cyanide but it was readily available and came in several forms.

If a person suspected of inhaling cyanide had stopped breathing they should be removed to an uncontaminated area and given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Areas of skin contact should be flushed with plenty of water and soap. Eyes should be flushed with water for at least 15 minutes.

Health officials said cyanide could produce a bitter, pungent, burning taste in the mouth and sometimes numbness and tightness in the throat and stiffness in the lower jaw. Salivation, nausea and vomiting often followed and an odour of bitter almonds may be on the breath or vomit.

If inhaled a person may feel generally unwell and experience a headache, dizziness, giddiness, confusion and/or anxiety.

Patients may also experience an irregular heartbeat and tightness in the chest.

In severe cases breathing becomes rapid and deep and then becomes slow and gasping. Fluid may fill the lungs and interfere with breathing. Unconsciousness, convulsions and death can quickly follow depending on the degree of exposure.

Red or pink discolouration of the skin was also a symptom.

If cyanide was suspected people should call 111 immediately.

Patient should not be induced to vomit as the expelled stomach contents may be contaminated or hydrogen cyanide gas may also be expelled.

John Fountain, the medical toxicologist with the National Poison Centre, said today the best advice people could take was to follow basic precautions for food hygiene with prepackaged foods.

Packages with broken or suspect seals or packaging should be discarded.

However, he said heating and mixing cyanide with some food often neutralised the effects of the poison.

He said cyanide came in several different forms and the amount needed for a fatal dose depended on its consistency and potency.

A common form was a paste used by possum trappers.

Dr Fountain said there were also several antidotes available and anyone suspected of being exposed to the poison should call the 111 emergency number as soon as possible.

He said dealing with the cyanide risk generally meant simply following good food practices.

General food poisoning was an every day danger and general commonsense should minimise the risk.

He said the five antidotes for cyanide were available in hospitals and calling the 111 emergency number would get immediate treatment.

If letters arrived with suspicious powder people should leave it alone, close the door and call the police, Dr Fountain said.

Plenty of water and soap would remove cyanide from skin.

"Simple safety around food, which is something people should be doing anyway, is what you do now.

"If anything, what is going to happen (is) we may end up with less cases of food poisoning, which will be a significant benefit," Dr Fountain said.

- NZPA