Last year, around this time, news reports highlighted an 8 year old Californian girl with an incredible and truly fortunate story. She had contracted rabies following a scratch from a stray cat and survived (albeit with intensive medical care), despite not receiving the rabies vaccine. She was very lucky because rabies, although rare, is almost … more
Although the Illinois Poison Center handles calls about human-related exposures only, we know many of our readers still need poison prevention tips for their furry, four- legged friends. Did you know there was an animal poison control center located right here in Illinois? Well this week the ASPCA Animal Poison Control offers some great tips to keep pets safe … more
When it’s hot out, there’s nothing better than jumping in a refreshing swimming pool! Before jumping in, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the chemicals used to keep pool water clean and safe. Some of these products include: 1. Chlorine 2. Bromine
Some MORE Medical Treatments to Avoid like the Plague! We hope you enjoyed our Toxicological Quackery Part 1 blog posted earlier this month. In Part 2 we will continue by giving more procedures that you should definitely avoid due to potential for serious injury. 1. LAETRILE (Vitamin B-17 or amygdalin) Amygdalin is a chemical derived … more
Just in time for the summer months and kids on summer vacation, there was a recent Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) memo that alerted healthcare providers and public health officials that West Nile Virus (WNV) activity in mosquitoes and birds is increasing throughout the state. The current high summer temperatures and low rainfall in … more
Some Medical Treatments to Avoid like the Plague It’s probably no surprise that there are ineffective, unproven, and potentially dangerous alternative medical procedures available for nearly every area of medicine. Medical toxicology is no exception. There are more than a few medical practices which are non-FDA approved and have been associated with serious injury and … more
Have you ever wondered why environmentalists are so concerned about the way we dispose of even trace amounts of mercury, such as that contained in your fever thermometers, thermostats, and compact fluorescence lightbulbs (CFLs)? The answer comes from a hard lesson we learned over a half century ago involving an environmental disaster at a … more
The IPC wrote a blog several months ago on the potential dangers of button batteries during the past holiday season. As an update, a new study recently published in Pediatrics, shows that ER visits related to batteries have doubled in the past 20 years; most of the increase has occurred in the past 8 years … more
For years the IPC has received calls involving a child getting into laundry detergent. Luckily, an unintentional taste of powder or liquid laundry detergent by a child is expected to cause minimal toxicity: throat or stomach irritation at the worst. In fact, most children don’t develop any symptoms at all. However, over the past couple … more
Great Fun, Great Deal , Great Cause! Buy discounted tickets to Six Flags Great America and earn dollars to support the Illinois Poison Center (IPC). Purchase online tickets to Six Flags Great America Coasters for a Cause Event held May 18th and 19th. Tickets are discounted to $28 and $5 will be donated to the … more
Public health is distinct from health care in that public health focuses on the prevention of disease within populations, while health care focuses on the treatment of disease in individuals. (2002 National Health Policy Forum) The first poison control center in the nation was started in Illinois in 1953. Its main purpose was to … more
This post goes out to the all the Dads trying to make Mother’s Day special. You may want to let Mom sit back and relax while you provide some household cleaning, help out with daily medications for the kids, or possibly even get the little critters involved in a little craft making! All of these … more
Now that warm weather is here, you are no doubt starting your garden again. One thing you may not have considered is the amount of lead in the soil in your garden. Lead poisoning can cause children to be overly active, inattentive, and even a small amount in a child can lower intelligence and slow … more
Is your medicine cabinet starting to look like a pharmacy? Do you really need that bottle of ibuprofen that expired in the 1990s? It’s probably time you cleaned out your medicine cabinet. Stockpiling old or unused medications can lead to medication errors, unintentional ingestion by kids or pets and for some prescription drugs—abuse. So what … more
We are currently busy with other callers and will be with you shortly . . . I really hate our new phone hold message . . . and so do those who use our services . . . but we had to make the change to reflect our new reality. For the past three years, … more
Why you should never ever induce vomiting The first 5 years I worked at the IPC, I was a CSPI and answered calls from the general public and health care professionals. I would always joke with my fellow CSPIs that we used the word ‘vomit’ more times in a day than most people probably do … more
“Radon: a hazardous, colorless, odorless gas” Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S., and the leading cause among non-smokers. Radon is a hazardous, colorless, odorless gas which may be lurking in your home or rental unit. A new law passed on January 1, 2012, that requires those seeking to rent property … more
We’ve come to the final segment of our four-part “Meet the IPC Expert” series. Our staff of experts answered over 86,000 calls from the general public and healthcare professionals in Illinois last year. In their own words, learn about their professional background, favorite parts of the job, most interesting cases, and even learn what they enjoy … more
It’s National Poison Prevention Week!! This week we continue our “Meet the IPC Experts” series with the third installment of our four part series. Our staff of experts answered over 86,000 calls from the general public and healthcare professionals in Illinois last year. In their own words, learn more about their professional background, favorite parts … more
Happy Illinois Poison Prevention Month This week we continue our “Meet the IPC Experts” series with the second installment of our four part series. Our staff of experts answered over 86,000 calls from the general public and healthcare professionals in Illinois last year. In their own words, learn more about their professional background, favorite parts … more
The “chirping” you hear this spring may not be the birds outside your window One day you’re awakened by the sound of your smoke alarm with no signs of smoke or gas leaks, what do you do? This “chirping” or “beeping” sound could possibly be a sign that your detector has a low battery. … more
Calling the Illinois Poison Center (IPC) during an emergency can be a very stressful experience. As a parent calling about your child, your only concern is your child’s well-being; as a nurse or physician calling about a patient in your care, your focus is ensuring the best outcome for that patient. Even in a situation … more
Say the word “poison” and most people conjure up an image of chemicals in a container marked with a skull and cross-bones, arsenic or even Agent Orange. But these are only a few of the thousands of substances the experts in the call center deal with that involve children and adults of all ages, ethnicities … more
The IPC managed nearly 77,000 exposures in 2011, and nearly 75% of these came from calls from the general public. In addition to providing expert recommendations and treatment advice, our IPC specialists collect information as well. If you have ever called the IPC, you may have balked at our request for certain personal information – … more
It is my turn to write the blog and for the past few days, colleagues have been after me to write something kind of sexy, but with a poisoning angle. The problem is that now that I have qualified to join AARP, I am unsure that I can replicate a summary of sexually transmitted toxins … more
