I get asked this a lot when people find out I work for the Illinois Poison Center. There is an intense fascination with the sorts of things that are called into a poison center. These questions come in conversation, e-mail and the internet. As an example, our very first Twitter response was “What is the … more
By Anthony M Burda Rph, DABAT aka the Man, the Myth, the Legend Everyone has a tendency to remember where they were and what they were doing on the day something very significant happened in the world, for example, the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the Challenger shuttle went down, or the terrorist … more
A Poison Center means different things to different people For a parent, it is a place to call for treatment advice if their child eats, drinks, rubs onto their skin or breathes a potentially harmful substance For a doctor or nurse, it is the place to call for treatment recommendations for potentially poisoned patients in … more
Do you still use a kitchen spoon to measure out medication instead of a dosing cup or dropper? If so, you are putting yourself or your kids at risk. A recent study showed that using a kitchen spoon to measure medication results in an overdose 12% of the time and an under-dose 8% of the … more
In 2006, I nearly killed my kidneys because I ignored the rule “poisoning in only a matter of dose”. With regards to poisoning, the potentially harmful dose of a medication can be acute meaning too much all at once, or chronic referring too much over an extended period of time. Paracelsus, a 16th century physician … more
Half of the calls received by the IPC involve kids under the age of 6. Young children are naturally curious and explore their environments by touching and putting things into their mouths. They learn by imitation, their taste buds are immature and they do not understand cause and effect. Plus they are just small, so … more
New Years is just around the corner which means it’s time to booze it up and hopefully not drive home. For many many years, humans have desired, searched for and used compounds that alter their sensorium….to help them unwind, relax, forget their troubles and take the edge off of or a temporary break from, harsh … more
How to prevent food poisoning over the holidays: It is 1a.m., a house full of out-of-town holiday guests and to everyone’s dismay, there is a line for the bathroom as several family members suddenly develop vomiting and diarrhea. Not the picture of holiday bliss, especially when mom says it was the turkey, or the cream … more
Winter is here, which means furnaces are on, fireplaces are crackling and ovens are baking up tasty treats. Do YOU know the difference between these two potentially toxic gases? If you didn’t even know there was a difference, you’re not alone. Here’s the scoop. First of all, breathing and oxygen (O2) 101: You take a … more
An Introduction to the Illinois Poison Center Blog: Welcome to the first post of the Illinois Poison Center blog site! I must be honest, in medical school I never thought I would be writing an internet blog, probably because Al Gore hadn’t invented the internet yet and blogs did not exist. A lot has changed … more
Check out this video from FoxNews that provides a good summary of the safety of hand sanitizers. While good at killing germs, caution is needed in dispensing to kids. From the story: “It [hand sanitizer] is causing new problems for starters using too much can make kids sick. The biggest risk is that it is … more
