This month, the Chicago Tribune published a tragic story of a life cut short by inhalant abuse. Inhalants are one of the most commonly used methods to get high among young adolescents. The Monitoring the Future surveys show that in 2009, 15% of eighth graders had abused inhalants in their lifetimes.
By Carol In honor of the warmer weather and sunshine, IPC will feature one toxic plant per month on our blog. The plants of the world are filled with chemical compounds that interact with receptors in the human body and many of them have quite a long sordid history (and present) in art, literature and … more
Last week, a Chicago Mom Blogger posted her experience with the Illinois Poison Center (IPC). Accidental pediatric ingestions of potentially harmful substances make up over 50% of our calls in Illinois; we receive 40,000 to 45,000 calls annually regarding children 5 and under. There are over 1.2 million calls in the U.S. fielded by designated … more
By Tony and special guest blogger Heather Ipema A common telephone call to the IPC starts with a person coughing, sniffling, short of breath, and having difficulty finishing sentences. The caller wonders if it is due to poisoning from mixing bathroom cleaners. Determined to really disinfect the entire germy bathroom, the caller has made the … more
