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Does accident insurance pay for poisoning in Germany?

In short

Does accident insurance pay for poisoning in Germany? It depends on how the poison got in. Under the AUB 2020 model terms, poisoning by swallowing, eating or drinking is excluded, with an exception for children up to an agreed age, but not for food. Escaping gases count as an accident. If it pays, it pays for lasting harm: EUR 20,000 at a EUR 100,000 base sum and 20 percent disability.

Does accident insurance pay for poisoning in Germany?

What it costs

Publicly quoted monthly premiums for private accident insurance in Germany with a base sum of EUR 100,000 and 350 percent progression.

ExampleTypical range
Adult, office jobabout EUR 5 to 15 a month
Adult, trade or manual workabout EUR 10 to 22 a month
Child up to 17about EUR 3 to 8 a month
Seniorsabout EUR 10 to 38 a month
Payout at 20 percent disability, EUR 100,000 base sumEUR 20,000 one-off

Premiums as of 2026 from publicly quoted tariff examples.

That policies with extended poisoning cover tend to sit in the upper part of the range is a guide

value from quoting practice.

We obtain the exact quote for you.

Worked example

Carbon monoxide from the gas boiler

A man, 52, breathes in carbon monoxide from a faulty boiler while asleep. He is left with brain damage affecting concentration and memory. The medical expert sets the degree of disability at 30 percent. The figures are a worked example.

Base sumEUR 100,000
Degree of disability30 percent
Payout without progressionEUR 30,000
With progressionmore, depending on the policy's table
Same harm from drinking a cleaning productEUR 0 under the model terms

The gas counts as an accident because he breathed it in unknowingly while asleep. Had he swallowed the substance, everything would depend on extended cover in the policy.

Why poisoning is often not an accident

An accident is a sudden event acting on the body from outside that damages your health against your will. With poisoning the substance acts inside the body, and often you took it in yourself. That is why the model terms of the German insurance association deal with poisoning explicitly.

Excluded is poisoning by solid or liquid substances that enter the body through the throat. For children up to an age the insurer sets in the policy, this exclusion does not apply. Spoiled or unsuitable food remains excluded for children as well.

CaseAUB 2020 model termsPolicy with extended cover
Carbon monoxide from a faulty boiler while asleepcovered as gas and fumescovered
Toddler drinks cleaning productcovered up to the agreed agecovered
Adult mixes up bottles and drinks cleanernot coveredcovered depending on policy
Food poisoningnot coveredpartly covered, with time limits
Fall while drunknot coveredonly if the policy says so explicitly
Blood poisoning after a deep cutcoveredcovered

Gases and fumes

If gas escapes and you breathe it in without noticing or without being able to get away, the model terms treat this as an accident. A typical case is carbon monoxide from a faulty gas boiler or stove. Each insurer sets the maximum period over which this may happen.

Occupational diseases are not covered. Anyone who breathes in fumes at work for years has to rely on statutory accident insurance here.

Alcohol, drugs and medication

Alcohol poisoning is poisoning by drinking and is therefore excluded. On top of that there is a second exclusion: accidents caused by impaired consciousness. The model terms name alcohol, drugs and medication as possible causes.

So if someone falls down the stairs drunk, the policy does not pay under the model terms. If your policy differs, the terms say so explicitly.

Policies that cover more

Some insurers go beyond the model terms. One set of terms, for example, includes poisoning by swallowed substances including food poisoning if the intake lasted no more than seven days, and gases, vapours and acids acting for up to seven days.

For children, check the age in the poisoning clause. Toddlers put cleaning products, tablets or lamp oil in their mouths. The higher the age limit, the longer this is covered.

Step by step

  1. If you suspect poisoning, call 112 or a poison control centre straight away.
  2. Note the substance, packaging and time and show them to the doctor.
  3. Inform your accident insurer as soon as lasting harm is possible.
  4. Have permanent disability confirmed by a doctor and claim it within the time limits in your policy.
  5. Read the clauses on poisoning and gases in your terms.

Checklist

  • Poisoning clause for children with the highest possible age limit
  • Gases and fumes explicitly included
  • Poisoning by swallowed substances included for adults
  • Rule on alcohol and impaired consciousness read
  • Carbon monoxide alarm if you have a gas boiler or stove

Common mistakes

  • Assuming every poisoning is an accident
  • Not knowing the age limit in the children's poisoning clause
  • Expecting accident insurance to pay treatment costs
  • Missing the disability time limits after gas poisoning

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Is food poisoning covered?

Not under the model terms, not even for children.

Some policies include it explicitly, for example with a time limit on how long the intake lasted.

Does accident insurance pay for alcohol poisoning?

No.

Alcohol is drunk, so the exclusion for swallowed substances applies.

Accidents while drunk are also excluded as impaired consciousness.

Is carbon monoxide poisoning an accident?

Yes, if you breathed in the gas unknowingly or with no way out, for example while asleep.

The extended definition of an accident covers this.

My child swallowed tablets. Am I covered?

Up to the agreed age the exclusion does not apply to children.

It only pays, however, if lasting harm remains.

Who pays for treatment after poisoning?

Your health insurance.

Accident insurance pays money for consequences such as permanent disability and, if agreed,

a hospital daily allowance.

Is blood poisoning after an injury covered?

Yes, if the germs entered through an accidental injury that needed medical treatment.

For trivial wounds the infection exclusion applies.

Sources

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