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.
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.
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
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
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
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?
Halloween is just around the corner and little ghosts and goblins everywhere are gearing up for this night of fright! But parents BEWARE! As we begin to get into the spirit of Halloween, here are some quick pointers to ensure a hauntingly delightful Halloween
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
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?
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
There is a burgeoning fascination with the strange things children eat. If one were to do an internet search on the three words “my child ate”, it looks like a lot of children are eating Tums, poop (yes, poop, human and pet), pennies, crayons, deodorant and a host of household products.
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
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
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
By Tony Burda DABAT and Sheri VanOsdol Pharm.D. The incidence of bee stings tends to rise during the late summer and fall. Recently, a suburban Chicago greenhouse worker died from a suspected reaction to a bee sting. This unfortunate incident prompted us to summarize some simple first aid tips in the event that you are … more
By Anthony M Burda Rph, DABAT aka the Man, the Myth, the Legend Everyone has a tendency to remember where they were and what they were doing on the day something very significant happened in the world, for example, the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the Challenger shuttle went down, or the terrorist … more
Half of the calls received by the IPC involve kids under the age of 6. Young children are naturally curious and explore their environments by touching and putting things into their mouths. They learn by imitation, their taste buds are immature and they do not understand cause and effect. Plus they are just small, so … more
