Day in the life of a Poison Center: 3pm-4pm
A caller was trying to unclog a stubborn drain and poured drain cleaner and bleach into the sink at the same time. He immediately began having nose and eye burning and coughing.
Day in the life of a Poison Center: 2pm-3pm
A 3 year old child ingested a mouthful of calamine lotion. A 2 year old got into grandmother’s pill box and may have ingested up to one each of lisinopril, prednisone and atorvastatin.
Day in the life of a Poison Center: 1-2pm
An ER called regarding two adult patients who presented with bluish tinged skin (cyanosis). They had made their own beef jerky at home and had added 5 times too much sodium nitrate as a preservative. A preschool teacher would like to have someone from IPC to come out and give a poison prevention lecture to … more
Day in the life of a Poison Center: 12pm-1pm
A mom called, she is visiting her friend (who uses e-cigarettes) and found her 2 year old sucking the liquid out of the E-cigarette device. An adult caller was using a Brillo pad to clean a stain on his underwear. As a result of vigorously scrubbing, some of the Brillo cleanser flew into his eye.
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
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?
Ultra-Toxic Poisons May Be Lurking Right Under Your Nose
There are a lot of poisons that can cause significant harm to adults, kids, and pets. But did you ever wonder what kind of things make an expert answering phones in the IPC have a dry mouth, rapid heart rate, and raise the hair on the back of their neck?
I Didn’t Know That Poop Could Be So Harmful!
Regardless of what you call it (feces, stool, BMs, poop, doodoo, scat, #2, caca, etc.), people, especially kids, can and do unintentionally encounter this undesirable material in a variety of ways (i.e. tasting or smelling it). In September 2011, the Illinois Poison Center posted a blog about kids accidentally tasting various forms of fecal material … more
What’s That “Chirping” Sound??
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. After … more
My Child Ate…Christmas!
As part of my reconnaissance for writing this post, I polled my Facebook friends and asked, “What do you think is the most toxic thing about the Holidays”? One of my favorite replies was, “relatives”. Well, unfortunately that is more “Dear Prudence’s” purview than my own, but below you will find some information on what … more
Thanksgiving Day Turkey Disasters
If you are a regular reader of IPC’s blog, you know that we can get a variety of calls. In honor of T-day, here are some of the most interesting food-related Thanksgiving calls our staff has gotten over the years: Jessica – PIP* The most memorable Thanksgiving call that sticks out in my head was … more
Babysitters & Nannies: Things to know before the parents go
If you are a babysitter/sitter/nanny, or ever entrust your precious progeny to one of them, then this article is for you. About half of the IPC’s 75,000 exposures every year involve kids age 5 and under, and more than 90% of all exposures happen in the home. I think we all would agree that keeping … more
“My Child Ate…!” Honorable Mentions
There are just way too many “My Child Ate…” scenarios for us to write about! However here are a few honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the “My Child Ate…” series but are just as important: “My Child Ate… The Dog’s Food” Although it might be uberly gross to discover that your child has forgone … more
“My Child Ate… Nature!”
Bleeeaaauuugghh!! Nasty!!! Eeeeeewwww!! How many times have you squealed aloud after discovering your child has recently delved into what they believe to be a culinary delight but you know to be just plain gross? While getting outside to allow your brood some time to release excess energy is the primary goal, it may lead to … more
“My Child Ate…Something Around the House!”
The blog series “My Child Ate…” continues with us taking a look at the top ten things children are getting into around the house. Each year, poison centers receive over one million calls involving children ages five and under. Have you ever wondered what in the world kids are getting into? Well check out our … more
“My Child Ate…Poop!”
Welcome to the IPC’s second installment of the “my child ate…” blog series. Last week Mike explored the dangers of prescription medications, and this week I am going to talk about stuff kids eat that is really, really gross. Like poop, for example. Do kids really eat poop, you may ask? They sure do. All … more
Top 5 Bug Spray Questions: Home Edition
This time of year, the Illinois Poison Center’s call volume starts to increase for a variety of reasons. One of those reasons has to do with the use of pesticides in the home. Here are the top 5 most frequently asked questions about insecticides: 1. Can I use outdoor-use pesticides inside the house if I … more
Food Poisoning? Or Poisoned Food?
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 … 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 … more