Hypothermia and Frostbite: Know The Cold Facts

So it seems we find ourselves coming upon the dead of winter-the holidays are over and spring seems light years away. You may recall in August we posted a piece entitled “Hot Summer Days and Medications: A Recipe for Heat Stroke” So we decided to do a companion piece dealing with cold weather injuries which are hypothermia and frostbite. No, this is not just another story about what to do when your child on a dare licks a metal lamp post on a very cold day. Extreme cold must be taken very seriously. An article published in the Chicago Tribune on January 1 reported the death of a Tinley Park, IL man, making him the 4^th person in Cook county to have died from hypothermia so far this winter. Read more »

Don’t Tolerate Toxic Toasts by Toddlers this Holiday Season

At the stroke of midnight on Friday, December 31st, many of us will be ringing in 2011 with the familiar phrase “happy new year!” while sipping our favorite alcoholic beverages.  However, being oblivious to where you leave your unfinished drink can result in a very scary start to the New Year if your child gets alcohol poisoning. Read more »

Food Poisoning? Or Poisoned Food?

By Carol

It’s almost Thanksgiving, so this week’s blog will focus on what’s really important this time of year:  Food!  We’ve already written about food poisoning, so this time let’s talk about poisoned food.  If you’ve read or heard any of  the IPC’s poison prevention tips, then you know some of the most important ones are:

• Do not store cleaning products or chemicals near food
• Keep chemicals, cleaners and other products in their original containers

Failure to heed this sage advice has resulted in some very unpleasant mealtimes for some of our callers over the years.  Below are all true stories of cases the IPC has managed regarding accidentally poisoned food.  Read these, and then do a once-over of your pantry to make sure you don’t have an accidental poisoning waiting to happen. Read more »

Battle of the Bad Bed Bugs

Tony Burda, Carol DesLauriers, Abra Berg (Student Resident)

If even the briefest mention of bed bugs is enough to make you itch, imagine spending hours researching this topic! However, for the sake of our readers, we stalwartly slathered on the calamine and dove right in.

If you have been following the news in the past year or two, the problem of bed bug infestation in private residences, travel lodges, schools, and even theaters is all to familiar. Although no official statistics exist regarding the incidence of bed bug infestation, www.bedbugregistry.com cites 20,000 reports of bed bugs since 2006. Read more »

Beware of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Extreme Weather

Every year like clockwork, the Illinois Poison Center sends out safety messages on how to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning during the fall and winter months.  Since the heater was on in my house last night, the timing seems just about right for this year’s piece, especially since I had recently seen an article regarding carbon monoxide poisoned patients in our region a few days before.

This past week however, Illinois was pummeled with high winds and rain followed by unseasonably cold weather.  The upcoming winter is also predicted to be one marked by severe cold and higher than average snow fall with some pundits calling this year to be a “wintry battle zone”.  This made me think about the other risk factors in carbon monoxide poisoning – the loss of power during extreme weather and severe winter storms. Read more »

Happy Halloween: Boo!…not Boo-Hoo.

By Art Kubic, PharmD and IPC Call Center Specialist

It’s that time of year again!  Fall is finally here. Time for pumpkins, corn mazes, apple cider, leaves (and the subsequent raking/leaf blowing), and one of my absolute favorite holidays—Halloween! With trick-or-treating season right around the corner, now is the time to start making plans to ensure your little ghosts, goblins, and princesses have a safe and secure time this year. Read more »

“All I Did Was Go To The Bathroom And…”

By Tony

No, this is not our attempt to make shameless PG-rated “bathroom humor.”  I haven’t conducted any studies nor am I equipped with any concrete statistics; all I have is my 30 years of observations as a certified toxicologist and those of other Illinois Poison Center call center staff. Yet I ask you to consider the following:  the act of going to the bathroom provides enough time and opportunity for any adventurous and clever toddler to get into mischief, which may unfortunately lead to an unwarranted injury or exposure. Read more »

“Ay, Ay…I Splashed_____in my Eye”

How to manage and prevent harmful chemical exposures to the eye

By: Tony Burda and Robert Redwood ( 4th Year Medical Student  at RUMC)

When you think of the type calls received by a Poison Control Center, you probably think of poisonings such as  a child tasting rat poison or eating several handfuls of chewable vitamins or taking several bites of a house plant. Yet, in 2008 over 113,000 calls were placed to US Poison Centers regarding ocular (eye) exposures to chemicals alone! Read more »

Ways To Deal With Unwelcome Fall House Guests

How to safely use rat and mouse poison

By Tony Burda, DABAT and Grazina Janeliauskaite, Pharm.D. Student

Along with the cooling of outdoor temperatures and the chill in the wind at this time of year we all like to come inside to a nice, warm, cozy home and have a pleasant beverage or snack. But we are not the only ones who have that very same thought in mind. During the brisk fall season, rodents such as mice and rats, are looking to close up their summer nests, pack their bags and make their way into your home through the narrowest of cracks whether you like it or not…EEEK! Read more »