Day in the life of a Poison Center: 11am-12pm
An elderly man called because a drain opener splashed into his eyes when he poured it into a clogged drain. A 5 year old accidentally super glued his finger in his nose.
Day in the life of a Poison Center: 10am-11am
An ER called for assistance with an adult male who was pulled unconscious from a tank he had been cleaning at his worksite. A toddler ingested a mouthful of acetone nail polish remover.
Day in the life of a Poison Center: 9am-10am
A 3 year old child ingested an entire roll of Rolaids. A 23 year old woman is in the ER because she had been using an outdoor pesticide (chlorpyrifos) inside her house repeatedly over the past week. She is experiencing symptoms of dizziness and drowsiness.
Day in the life of a Poison Center: 8am-9am
A 14 month old child took a bite out of his mother’s deodorant stick. Mom was able to remove most of the material from his mouth but he swallowed some. A 2 year old child ingested an unknown number of gummy vitamins.
Day in the life of a Poison Center: 7am-8am
An 11 month old child was playing with the tube of diaper cream while his father changed his diaper. He bit into the tube and ingested a mouthful of the cream. EMS called because they are transporting a patient found by his wife; she woke up this morning to find that he was on the … more
Day in the life of a Poison Center: 12am-7am
Want to know what it is like to work at a poison center? Ever wonder just what type of calls we receive? All of these calls are typical of the type of calls the IPC gets on any given day. They are presented in a simulated call timeframe and details have been changed to protect … more
Carbon Monoxide—The Silent Killer
In September 2014, 147 people at North Mac Middle School in Girard, IL, were rushed to local hospitals after being poisoned with carbon monoxide. A gas water heater had malfunctioned (despite passing inspection a few months previous). By law, homes in Illinois are required to have a working carbon monoxide detector—not so for schools.
The Most Dangerous Toys in Santa’s Bag
Gift giving season is upon us, and most of us have a child on our gift list. There are a few toys that bring out the scrooge in us here at IPC, because of the dangers they pose to children if ingested. The first problematic item is one that contains a button cell battery. Button … more
Top 5 Unwanted Guests for the Holidays: Common Food Borne Illnesses
The holidays are a time of celebration and joy, connecting and reconnecting with friends and family. Many gatherings will have an abundance of food. Holiday feasts however, can be tricky; home chefs are often preparing a meal they don’t normally cook, and they’re preparing it for a larger group than usual. For many parties, different … more
Thinking about stopping your medicines without talking to your doctor? Think again!
You know that taking too much medication is dangerous. But did you realize that abruptly stopping a medication after taking it regularly can be just as dangerous?
Is Poison On the Menu?
Two stories appeared in the news recently, each describing accidental poisonings with chemical cleaners that occurred in restaurants. It’s important to note that cleaning chemicals such as the ones described in these stories can also be found in the home. These incidents can serve as examples of injuries that can happen when poison prevention practices … more
Can you OD on marijuana?
This is a question that was asked on the Illinois Poison Center Facebook page a couple of weeks ago. Up until a year or two ago, I would have said no. Now I am not so sure.
A Spoonful of Trouble (Part 2)
Have you ever given your child a liquid medication? If so, there is a pretty good chance that you may have given your child the wrong dose. This topic was the subject of a recently published article in the American Academy of Pediatrics. The study found that approximately 40% of parents made an error in … more
The Case of the Home Remedy
The IPC receives about 80,000 calls each year regarding poisonings; in 2013 over 50,000 of those were calling from their home about an exposure that occurred there. Luckily, we were able to keep 90% of those people at home, without the need to go to an emergency room or doctor’s office for their exposure. That … more
The Case of the Secret Ingredient
Occasionally, the IPC gets a call regarding a family that was inadvertently ‘served’ a poison added to their food by a well-meaning home chef. Most of our case studies relate back to IPC’s core poison prevention messages and this one is no different. Today’s lesson is never store chemicals or cleaning products near food.
The Case of the Wrong Container
Today’s case study involves poisoning exposures that occurred because a potentially harmful substance was stored in the wrong container. One of the IPC’s core poison prevention messages is always store chemicals, cleaning products, and medications in their original containers. There are good reasons for this: The usage directions are always with the product The substance … more
The Case of the Double Dose
Welcome to the second installment of The Case Files of the IPC. Today’s case study involves taking medicine twice instead of once. It happens to the best of us. The two most common times to take medication is in the morning and at bedtime—times when there are a lot of other things going on. Also, … more
The Case of the Tube Switcheroo
Here at the IPC we get a lot of interesting calls, as you might imagine. We get gross calls, calls about dares, calls about kids, calls about really toxic stuff, and calls about less toxic stuff. It is all just another day at the IPC for our experts, who manage over 80,000 poisoning cases each … more
IPC’s Top Ten Blogs
It’s that time of year! No, I’m not talking about the holidays, I’m talking about the ‘best of’ lists that everyone is writing now that 2013 is coming to a close. In honor of the 4th anniversary of the IPC blog, here are our top 10 most popular blogs since 2009:
The IPC: A few things to be thankful for!
It is that time of year where friends and family come together to share a very special holiday: Thanksgiving. As you are celebrating this wonderful time of the year, take a little time out to reflect on the value of the services that IPC provides you year around.
The changing nature of healthcare access and poison control services
Future access to poison information services: The first poison center in the U.S. started in Chicago in 1953 with a lone pharmacist, Louis Gdalman, a stack of carefully crafted index cards and a rotary phone. Over the ensuing years, the index cards became microfiche; microfiche became floppy discs; floppy discs became CDs. The lone pharmacist … more
Guest Blog: Deborah Blum–Pulitzer Prize Winning Science Journalist & NYT Bestselling Author
(from the American Association of Poison Control Centers) We had the wonderful opportunity to ask Deborah Blum, a New York Times Bestselling author, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and expert on poison subjects, a few questions. Blum is a self-proclaimed fan of the poison center system and shared her views on everything from science education to … more
Halloween Health Safety Tips: How To Have A Safe and Spooky Good Time
Halloween is just around the corner and little ghosts and goblins everywhere are gearing up for this night of fright! But parents BEWARE! As we begin to get into the spirit of Halloween, here are some quick pointers to ensure a hauntingly delightful Halloween
A Healthy Environment vs. a Healthy Home
Sometimes the problem of safe medication disposal is one that reminds me of the proverbial saying “stuck between a rock and a hard place”.
The Top 3 Substances Involved in IPC Poisoning Cases
The IPC receives calls on almost 74,000 exposure calls per year on a wide variety of different substances—medicines, household cleaners, plants/mushrooms, chemicals, bug bites and stings, food poisoning, recreational drugs, environmental toxins and more. If it’s potentially harmful, you can call the IPC about it! A common question we get is, “What substances do you … more