Poison control center provides advice over the telephone for treating emergencies that involve poisoning. Most poison control centers are located in hospitals, often near the emergency unit. They are staffed by doctors, nurses, and pharmacists who have special training in toxicology (the study of poisons).
Poison control centers receive millions of calls each year. Most of the calls are from parents, grandparents, and other caretakers of a child who has accidentally swallowed poison. The centers also advise doctors, nurses, and other emergency personnel who treat victims of poisoning. Common emergencies involving poisons include the swallowing of household cleaning products, drug overdoses, the absorption of poisonous chemicals through the skin, the swallowing of batteries, and snakebites.
Most victims of poisoning can be treated at home if a poison control center is consulted immediately. Persons contacting a poison control center will be asked to identify the poison. If the victim has swallowed a commercial product, the poison container should be brought to the telephone when making the call. In addition, the caller may be asked to estimate the age of the victim, how much of the poison is missing, and when the poisoning occurred.
Poison control centers also provide educational outreach to prevent poison emergencies and inform the public about the dangers of poisons. The first poison control center opened in Chicago in 1953. Today, there are 55 poison control centers in the United States. They serve all 50 states in addition to Puerto Rico, the Federated States of Micronesia, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. All U.S. poison centers can be reached by calling the same telephone number, 1-800-222-1222.
