American Association of Poison Control Centers Dedicated to actively advancing the health care role and public health mission of our members through information, advocacy, education and research.
an I take this over-the-counter cold medicine if I m also taking this antibiotic? My m onoxide alarm is going off. I squirted mold remover in my eye trying to clean the t of stickers and magnets can we have some more? Should I let her sleep it off or rowing up. Could it be food poisoning? What should we do? Is the helium in ballo hite, oval pills with an N stamped on the back. Can you tell us what it is? It was da lls. My friend drank a lot of cough syrup for fun, but now he s not feeling well. eing changes in liver function by now? My 2-year-old drank out of the toilet. irror just broke and my friend said it s made of mercury. Is it poisonous? The carb e bathroom. I accidentally used anti-itch cream instead of toothpaste. We f or take her to the hospital? My whole family was fine before dinner, but now we lloons really a drug? Our unit responded to a 9-1-1 call and found large quantitie as dark, and I took my husband s heart pills by accident when I thought I was taking he ell. My patient arrived three hours ago with an acetaminophen overdose. Should w Can I take this over-the-counter cold medicine if I m also taking this antibiotic? rbon monoxide alarm is going off. I squirted mold remover in my eye trying to c e ran out of stickers and magnets can we have some more? Should I let her sleep e re all throwing up. Could it be food poisoning? What should we do? Is the he antities of white, oval pills with an N stamped on the back. Can you tell us what it is My mirror just broke and my friend said it s made of mercury. Is it poisonous? Th ean the bathroom. I accidentally used anti-itch cream instead of toothpaste. off or take her to the hospital? My whole family was fine before dinner, but now w balloons really a drug? Our unit responded to a 9-1-1 call and found large quan was dark, and I took my husband s heart pills by accident when I thought I was taking h ell. My patient arrived three hours ago with an acetaminophen overdose. Should w Can I take this over-the-counter cold medicine if I m also taking this antibiotic? rbon monoxide alarm is going off. I squirted mold remover in my eye trying to clea n out of stickers and magnets can we have some more? Should I let her sleep it of l throwing up. Could it be food poisoning? What should we do? Is the helium in bal hite, oval pills with an N stamped on the back. Can you tell us what it is? It was da
irror just broke and my friend said it s made of mercury. Is it poisonous? The carbo bathroom. I accidentally used anti-itch cream instead of toothpaste. Who We We Are ra take her to the hospital? My whole family was fine before dinner, but now we re a ons really a drug? Our unit responded to a 9-1-1 call and found large quantities o Poison center, may I help you? rk, and I took my husband s heart pills by accident when I thought I was taking headach My patient arrived three hours ago with an acetaminophen is overdose. dedicated to actively Should we b Every few seconds, someone calls the Poison Help line at Can I take this over-the-counter cold medicine if I m also taking this antibiotic? M 1-800-222-1222. Operating 24 hours a day, every day of the year, on monoxide poison alarm center experts is going are ready off. to answer I questions squirted and help mold treat remover in my eye trying to clea people who have been exposed to poisons. ran out of stickers and magnets can we have some more? Should I let her sleep re all throwing A poison up. is any Could substance it be that food can harm poisoning? someone if it is What used in the should we do? information, Is advocacy, the helium i wrong way, by the wrong person, or in the wrong amount. Some s of white, oval pills with an N stamped on the back. Can you tell us what it is? substances may be harmful if they come into direct contact with your adache pills. My friend drank a lot of cough syrup for fun, but now he s not feelin eyes or skin. Others may be toxic if you breathe them or swallow them. e be seeing changes in liver function by now? My 2-year-old drank out of the toilet The nation s 57 poison centers are members of the American My mirror just broke and my friend said it s made of mercury. Is it poisonous? Th Association of Poison Control Centers. Mission: The AAPCC advancing the health care role and public health mission of our members through education and research. lean the bathroom. I accidentally used anti-itch cream instead of toothpaste. it off or take her to the hospital? My whole family was fine before dinner, but now lium in balloons My patient really arrived a drug? three hours Our unit responded to a 9-1-1 call and found larg? Can ago I take with this an over-the-counter acetaminophen cold medicine if I m also taking this antibiotic? e carbon monoxide overdose. alarm Should is we going be seeing off. I squirted mold remover in my eye trying t We ran out of changes stickers in and liver magnets can function by now? we have some more? Should I let her slee e re all throwing up. Could it be food poisoning? What should we do? Is the helium tities of white, oval pills with an N stamped on the back. Can you tell us what it is? eadache pills. My friend drank a lot of cough syrup for fun, but now he s not feelin e be seeing changes in liver function by now? My 2-year-old drank out of the toilet My mirror just broke and my friend said it s made of mercury. Is it poisonous? Th n the bathroom. I accidentally used anti-itch cream instead of toothpaste. W f or take her to the hospital? My whole family was fine before dinner, but now we r loons really a drug? Our unit responded to a 9-1-1 call and found large quantities o rk, and I took my husband s heart pills by accident when I thought I was taking headach 1
2 Who We Are Can I take this over-the-counter cold medicine if I m also taking this antibiotic? The AAPCC at a glance: Communications/Public Education Issues public health alerts about new and emerging poisons. Raises public awareness of poisoning hazards. Arranges media interviews with poison experts. Advocacy and Government Affairs Advocates for poison center funding and support. Partners with other public health organizations on emergency preparedness and response, as well as efforts to prevent injuries due to poison exposures. Represents poison centers on national workgroups addressing poisonings. Advocates for laws, regulations and policies that prevent poison exposures and protect the public s health and safety. Professional Development Certifies specialists in poison information and accredits poison centers. Provides continuing education for poison center staff. Co-hosts an annual national toxicology conference. Coordinates and hosts annual meetings for members. Data Services Maintains the National Poison Data System. Detects public health threats. Supplies national poison exposure data to federal agencies, as well as to private sector organizations. Publishes annual poison exposure report.
Poisoning in the U.S. 3 Poisoning is a very real public health problem. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 40,000 people die every year from poisonings; of those, about 15,000 die from prescription painkiller overdoses. Every day in the U.S., more than 80 people die as a result of unintentional poisoning and about 2,000 are treated in emergency departments. While almost all categories of childhood injuries decreased over the last decade, poisonings rose dramatically. Most of the poison exposure cases managed by poison centers involve children; however, most poison exposure deaths occur to adults. Poison center experts manage cases of exposures to pesticides, prescription drugs, over-thecounter medicines, household cleaning products, snake and spider bites, plants, illegal drugs, carbon monoxide, and many other substances. The AAPCC works with local poison centers and other partners to develop programs designed to prevent poisonings and promote use of the toll-free Poison Help line for poison emergencies or information. 12 Top Substances Involved in Poison Exposures 10 8 6 4 2 0 11.7% PAINKILLERS 8.0% COSMETICS 7.0% CLEANING PRODUCTS 6.1% SEDATIVES AAPCC 2011 Annual Report
4 The Value of the Poison Center System In total, the poison center system saves more than $1.8 billion per year in medical costs and productivity. A 2012 report by the Lewin Group, a leading health care policy research firm, analyzed the value of the nation s poison center system. The report confirms the overwhelming return on investment that the poison center system contributes to the nation as a whole, including: $752.9 million saved per year due to avoided medical utilization. $441.1 million saved per year due to shorter hospital stays. $23.9 million saved per year due to in-person outreach. $603 million saved per year due to reduced work-loss days. Poison centers are funded in a variety of ways. Federal dollars account for only about 13 percent of total funding; the rest comes from state and local governments, hospitals and other private sources. In order to continue to provide free, expert, lifesaving services around the clock, poison centers need secure and sufficient funding. Poison Centers Save Money! Dollars Spent $1 Dollars Saved $13.39 Every dollar invested in the poison center system saves $13.39 in health care costs and lost productivity.
About Poison Centers 5 Poison centers save countless lives by providing immediate, confidential medical advice at no cost to the public. Poison centers also conduct educational outreach to inform the public about the dangers of poisons. Residents of all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Federated States of Micronesia, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam, have access to these services. Poison centers are staffed by nurses, pharmacists, physicians and specialists in poison information who are highly trainined poison experts. The nation s poison centers receive millions of calls every year. Most are calls about poison exposures. The rest are calls from the public, law enforcement, and health care providers asking for information. Should I let her sleep it off or take her to the hospital?
6 About Poison Centers I squirted mold remover in my eye trying to clean the bathroom. Poison centers are under medical direction and are staffed by nurses, pharmacists and physicians specifically trained as toxicology specialists, as well as poison information providers. These highly trained experts are able to manage about 90 percent of cases from the public over the phone without referral to an emergency department. While each poison center operates independently, the 57 centers are networked together to provide seamless coverage. This ensures that a caller will be connnected to a poison center in the event of a power outage or other interruption. U.S. poison centers are remarkably effective in detecting new public health threats. Often, just a few calls to poison centers will trigger an alert to local, state and federal health organizations. In the past few years, U.S. poison centers were the first to raise the alarm about synthetic drugs called bath salts and synthetic marijuana. They also identified health issues associated with energy drinks, packets of highly concentrated laundry detergent and numerous foodborne illnesses. Poison centers partner with federal, state and local agencies on emergency preparedness and response efforts to provide support to the public during hurricanes, earthquakes, disease outbreaks, radiation events and bioterrorism attacks. In recent years, poison centers worked with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local public health agencies to provide hotline services addressing the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the H1N1 influenza pandemic and radiation concerns following the 2011 earthquake in Japan.
7 National Poison Data System (NPDS) The NPDS is the only comprehensive, near-real-time poisoning exposure surveillance database in the U.S. NPDS data are: Product-specific. Geographic-specific. Near real-time. National. Initiated in 1985, the National Poison Data System (NPDS) has more than 55 million case records and product-specific data for more than 380,000 products. NPDS detects and tracks poison exposure outbreaks across the country by searching for and analyzing exposure trends ranging from food or drug contamination to biological warfare agents and other events of public health significance. The carbon monoxide alarm is going off.
an I take this over-the-counter cold medicine if I m also taking this antibiotic? My m 8 onoxide alarm is going off. I squirted mold remover in my eye trying to clean the National Poison Data t of System stickers (NPDS) and magnets can we have some more? Should I let her sleep it off or rowing up. Could it be food poisoning? What should we do? Is the helium in ballo hite, oval pills with an N stamped Data Collection on the back. Can you tell us what it is? It was da All poison centers use a standardized electronic reporting system to lls. My friend drank a lot of cough syrup for fun, but now he s not feeling well. capture case data from incoming calls. Data are uploaded from poison eing changes in liver function by now? My 2-year-old drank out of the toilet. centers to the NPDS every few minutes, resulting in a near real-time irror just broke and my friend snapshot said it s of poison made exposures of mercury. in the U.S. Is it poisonous? The carb e bathroom. I accidentally Value used of Data anti-itch cream instead of toothpaste. We f or take her to the hospital? My whole family was fine before dinner, but now we NPDS data allow product safety managers, regulatory agencies, consumer action groups, researchers and government officials to lloons really a drug? Our unit responded to a 9-1-1 call and found large quantitie readily and effectively identify and manage risks. NPDS data may be as dark, and I took my husband s heart pills by accident when I thought I was taking he used to answer any number of questions related to exposures to toxic ell. My patient arrived three substances. hours For ago example, with NPDS an data acetaminophen can be used to: overdose. Should w Can I take this over-the-counter Identify cold potential medicine public health if I m threats. also taking this antibiotic? Identify injury patterns. rbon monoxide alarm is going off. I squirted mold remover in my eye trying to c Review associated rates of illness and death. e ran out of stickers and magnets can we have some more? Should I let her sleep It was dark, Analyze safety data to prevent deaths and injuries. e re all throwing up. Could it be food poisoning? What should we do? Is the he and I took my Monitor or demonstrate product safety. antities of white, oval pills with an N stamped on the back. Can you tell us what it is husband s heart Conduct post market surveillance of newly approved or newly My mirror just broke and my friend marketed said products. it s made of mercury. Is it poisonous? Th pills by accident ean the bathroom. I accidentally Satisfy regulatory used anti-itch reporting requirements. cream instead of toothpaste. when I thought off or take her to the hospital? Support My new whole drug applications family using was data fine from before similar products. dinner, but now w I was taking balloons really a drug? Companies, Our unit organizations responded and other to a groups 9-1-1 that call would and like to found large quan headache pills. learn more about NPDS or submit a data request may email was dark, and I took my husband s heart pills by accident when I thought I was taking h datarequests@aapcc.org. ell. My patient arrived three hours ago with an acetaminophen overdose. Should w Can I take this over-the-counter cold medicine if I m also taking this antibiotic? rbon monoxide alarm is going off. I squirted mold remover in my eye trying to clea n out of stickers and magnets can we have some more? Should I let her sleep it of l throwing up. Could it be food poisoning? What should we do? Is the helium in bal hite, oval pills with an N stamped on the back. Can you tell us what it is? It was da
irror just broke and my friend said it s made of mercury. Is it poisonous? The carbo bathroom. I accidentally used anti-itch cream instead of toothpaste. We ra take her to the hospital? My whole family was fine before dinner, but now we re a ons really a drug? Our unit responded to a 9-1-1 call and found large quantities o rk, and I took my husband s heart pills by accident when I thought I was taking headach My patient arrived three hours ago with an acetaminophen overdose. Should we b Can I take this over-the-counter cold medicine if I m also taking this antibiotic? M on monoxide alarm is going off. I squirted mold remover in my eye trying to clea ran out of stickers and magnets can we have some more? Should I let her sleep re all throwing up. Could it be food poisoning? What should we do? Is the helium i s of white, oval pills with an N stamped on the back. Can you tell us what it is? adache pills. My friend drank a lot of cough syrup for fun, but now he s not feelin e be seeing changes in liver function by now? My 2-year-old drank out of the toilet My mirror just broke and my friend said it s made of mercury. Is it poisonous? Th lean the bathroom. I accidentally used anti-itch cream instead of toothpaste. it off or take her to the hospital? My whole family was fine before dinner, but now lium in balloons really a drug? Our unit responded to a 9-1-1 call and found larg? Can I take this over-the-counter cold medicine if I m also taking this antibiotic? e carbon monoxide alarm is going off. I squirted mold remover in my eye trying t We ran out of stickers and magnets can we have some more? Should I let her slee e re all throwing up. Could it be food poisoning? What should we do? Is the helium tities of white, oval pills with an N stamped on the back. Can you tell us what it is? eadache pills. My friend drank a lot of cough syrup for fun, but now he s not feelin e be seeing changes in liver function by now? My 2-year-old drank out of the toilet My mirror just broke and my friend said it s made of mercury. Is it poisonous? Th n the bathroom. I accidentally used anti-itch cream instead of toothpaste. W f or take her to the hospital? My whole family was fine before dinner, but now we r loons really a drug? Our unit responded to a 9-1-1 call and found large quantities o rk, and I took my husband s heart pills by accident when I thought I was taking headach
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