Summer in bloom—is it toxic?
Midwesterners wait all year for summer—and now it’s in full swing! Before you embrace what nature has to offer, check out our list of what’s harmless and what should only be admired from afar!
Fall in bloom—is it toxic?
The weather in Illinois is getting cooler (much to my personal delight), and while some of the familiar summer blooms are fading away, mother nature has a whole new act for autumn. Some of the more classic toxic plants are in their prime this time of year. Very Toxic: If someone has swallowed any … more
Uh oh! I shouldn’t have put that…in my mouth! (part 1)
Many times we learn best from a juicy, fascinating human interest story. So…we thought we’d share a few cases with you, for prevention sake! This is part one of a three-part blog series re: things people put in their mouths (that create unexpected/unwanted results). Today, we’ll focus on…toothpaste errors. Oh, the interesting things we humans do when we … more
Scary Stuff and/or Fall Fun?
Slip on your cozy fleece; brew up some pumpkin flavored whatever and/or a bowl of hearty soup/stew and savor these resources and recommendations for the Fall season (if you dare!): First, some helpful info: Halloween: Scary for Kids, Even Scarier for Pets Halloween: Hocus Pocus vs. Potential Horrors Halloween Safety (pamphlet: English and Spanish) My … more
Lye, arsenic and strychnine just lying around their homes…
It all started back in the 1940s: After World War II, there was a substantial increase in the number of household products available to consumers, including many items that hadn’t been seen in homes before, such as cleaning products, pesticides, drugs and other chemicals. Many were poorly packaged and contained really toxic ingredients. People had … more
The Top 10 Totally Toxic Mistakes
OMG! Uh oh. Geez! Duh. Shoot! Yep, we’ve heard these exclamations time and time again. We all strive to do what’s best for our families by keeping our children safe and our homes clean. However, once in a while, some of the methods we use to achieve these goals totally backfire and can have minor—or … more
Halloween: Hocus Pocus vs. Potential Horrors
Let’s start with the scarrrrrryyyyyy stuff…poisoned candy.
A Day in the Life of a Poison Center
We hope you enjoyed our Day in the Life of the Poison Center blog-a-thon. Those cases represent just a single day here at IPC; that translates to nearly 80,000 people that we help each year in Illinois. Hopefully after reading these sample cases, you’ve learned that the IPC can help with just about any substance out … more
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
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.
Highlights of the New Illinois Medical Marijuana Act
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of months, you have heard about the new Illinois Medical Marijuana bill. The Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act (what a mouthful) was approved on August 1, 2013 making Illinois the 20th state to allow medical marijuana use.
The New Stomach Bug: Cyclospora Spreads Across the U.S.
Have you heard about the new stomach bug sweeping the U.S.? Recently, the media has reported an outbreak of a new stomach bug spreading through the Midwest. To date, there have been hundreds of cases of people affected by this critter, with the highest counts occurring in Iowa followed by Texas. Did you know that since … more
Isla Fisher: What not to do (when it comes to poisoning)
Everyone at some point has cringed while watching the Hollywood version of their profession butchered in a movie. For example, law enforcement hates how police are shown jumping rooftops, forensics experts take minutes to find evidence, and attorneys take a couple hours in a courtroom to convict a perpetrator. We in the poison business have … more
Laundry Pod Poisoning in Children
For the second time in 14 months, Proctor and Gamble (P&G) has changed the packaging of Tide Pods laundry detergent packets in order to reduce the risk of pediatric poisoning with the products. The first change was to modify the closure of the plastic tubs; the latest change is to make the packaging opaque so … more
The 21st century road to heroin town
As a child, my mother and I would visit her family near the Panama Canal Zone for summer vacation, and invariably there would be stories of “Sal si puedes” – literally “leave if you can.” Sal si puedes was the derelict and dangerous opium smoking section of Panama City in the late 1800’s and first … more
Ewwwww Groooossssss
Here at the IPC, we get a lot of interesting calls. The first time I tell someone what I do for a living, one of the usual questions I get is, “what was the craziest case you’ve ever had?” It is hard to choose just one, but what sticks in my memory most are the … more
The 4th Brings Forth Some Challenges
Temperatures and grills are hot, bugs are swarming and the sky is a glow with fireworks…it’s the Fourth of July! While the Fourth is usually a time for joyous celebrations, like every holiday, it brings forth its own set of poisoning hazards to adults, children and pets. Before you and yours celebrate America’s birthday, review … more
Are you going to pump my child’s stomach?
I can’t believe that I am still getting this question from the parents of adolescent ER patients who have overdosed on medications or drugs. “Pumping a stomach” ( also known by the fancy medical term gastric lavage ) was commonplace in the 1960’s to the early 1990’s, but has not been used extensively in nearly 20 … more
Watch out for those creatures that slither in Illinois
It’s that time of the year again. No, I’m not talking about beach season; I’m talking about snake season. Did you know the American Association of Poison Control Centers received 6,158 snake bite calls in the U.S. in 2009 ?
Oooops…. better call the poison center!
The Illinois Poison Center received 7,709 calls regarding medication errors in 2012. That’s over 10% of our total calls. It can happen to anyone. It has happened to me, in fact. I’ve been a pharmacist for over 10 years, and I work at the poison center—I should be immune to medicine mistakes, right? Wrong!
Mosquitoes, ticks and biting insects, OH MY!
Now that the weather is finally warming up, we can actually see Summer approaching just around the corner. Summertime means kids out of school, days at the park and gossiping out on the porch in the late evenings. For everything good thing there is always a downside. Not only does the warm weather bring more … more
Why not call it like it is?
Are you concerned about the toxicity and cancer causing potential of dihydrogen monoxide, also known as DHMO? What? Toxic?! Cancer causing potential?! GASP! If you have not heard of this substance, arm yourself with information at www.dhmo.org!
A Healthy Interaction: Get to Know your Pharmacist
I take great pride in telling others that I work for the Illinois Poison Center. Our call center team is always available to answer questions or resolve concerns about potential drug interactions. But there is another team of qualified individuals- your local pharmacists- who are able to help prevent medication errors.
The Top 5 Most Toxic Substances in Your House
Poisoning is the second leading cause of injury related death in the U.S. In Illinois alone, the IPC fields over 74,000 calls on poisoning exposures each year—nationwide, poison centers manage over 2.3 million exposures. Those stats may surprise you but did you also know that more than 90% of all poisonings happen in the home? … more