A poison is any substance that is harmful to your body. You might swallow it, inhale it, inject it or absorb it through your skin. Poisons can include
- Prescription or over-the-counter medicines taken in doses that are too high
- Overdoses of illegal drugs
- Carbon monoxide from gas appliances
- Household products, such as laundry powder or furniture polish
- Pesticides
- Indoor or outdoor plants
- Metals such as lead and mercury
The dangers of poisoning range from short-term illness to brain damage, coma and death. To prevent poisoning it is important to use and store products exactly as their labels say. Keep dangerous products where children can't get to them. Treatment for poisoning depends on the type of poison. If you suspect someone has been poisoned, call your local poison control center right away.
- Poisoning in the United States(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/poisoning.htm
- Poisoning: First Aid(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/first-aid-poisoning/FA00029/METHOD=print
- Poisoning(Merck & Co., Inc.) - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec24/ch297/ch297a.html
- Q and A: Poison Treatment in the Home(American Academy of Pediatrics) - http://www.aap.org/advocacy/archives/novpoisonqanda.htm
- Household Safety: Preventing Poisoning(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/home/safety_poisoning.html
- Read the Label First! Protect Your Household(Environmental Protection Agency) - Links to PDF - http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/labeling/pubs/rtlf/home.pdf
- Tips to Prevent Poisonings(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/poisonprevention.htm
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Tox Town
(National Library of Medicine) - Requires Flash Player - http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/espanol/
- Alcohol Poisoning(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/alcohol-poisoning/DS00861/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Chemical Emergencies(American Red Cross) - http://www.redcross.org/services/prepare/0,1082,0_94_,00.html
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In Case of Pesticide Poisoning(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pesticide Programs) - http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/safety/incaseof.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/safety/spanish/incaseof.htm
- Just Ask!…About Accidental Poisoning(United States Pharmacopeial Convention) - Links to PDF - http://www.usp.org/pdf/EN/patientSafety/justAskPoisoning.pdf
- Poisons: Room by Room(National Safety Council) - http://www.nsc.org/resources/issues/poisonpretips/room_by_room.aspx
- Prevent Poisoning and Death from Iron Containing Medicine(Consumer Product Safety Commission) - http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/5051.html
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Exposure(Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) - Links to PDF - http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/COM/exposure.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/es/COM/es_exposure.html
- Poisonous Plants(Arizona Poison & Drug Information Center) - http://www.pharmacy.arizona.edu/outreach/poison/plantsBad.php
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Household Products Database(National Library of Medicine) - http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/
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Prevent Poisoning in Children
(Healthy Roads Media) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.healthyroadsmedia.org/english/Files/flv/engpoi.htm
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Poisoning(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Poisoning%22
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Leopold Mozart and the first description of erythema nodosum. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18711081&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions: a review on epidemiology, etiology,... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18701033&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: By the way, doctor. How much Imitrex is too much? - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18697267&tool=MedlinePlus
- Poisoning -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(poisoning[majr]+OR+pharmaceutical+preparations/poisoning[majr])+NOT+(arsenic+poisoning[majr]+OR+bites+and+stings[majr]+OR+food+poisoning[majr]+OR+hepatitis,toxic[majr]+OR+lead+poisoning[majr]+OR+mercury+poisoning[majr]+OR+carbon+monoxide+poisoning[majr])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Poison Control Centers(American Association of Poison Control Centers) - http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/Resources/FindLocalPoisonCenters/tabid/130/Default.aspx
- American Association of Poison Control Centers - http://www.aapcc.org/
- Consumer Product Safety Commission - http://www.cpsc.gov/
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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - http://www.niehs.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.niehs.nih.gov/about/community/espanol/
- AAPCC Annual Reports(American Association of Poison Control Centers) - Large PDF file - http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/NationalPoisonDataSystem/AnnualReports/tabid/125/Default.aspx
- Poisoning in the United States(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/poisoning.htm
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Mushroom Poisoning in Children(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/firstaid/kids/129.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/healthy/firstaid/kids/129.printerview.html
- Poisons(Children's Hospital Boston) - http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site868/mainpageS868P0.html
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Prevent Poisoning in Children
(Healthy Roads Media) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.healthyroadsmedia.org/english/Files/flv/engpoi.htm
- Read the Label First! Protect Your Kids(Environmental Protection Agency) - Links to PDF - http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/labeling/pubs/rtlf/kids.pdf
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ToxMystery(National Library of Medicine) - Requires Flash Player - http://toxmystery.nlm.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://toxmystery.nlm.nih.gov/espanol.html
- Poison Tips for Teens(American Association of Poison Control Centers) - http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/PoisoningPrevention/TeenTips/tabid/121/Default.aspx
- Arsenic - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/arsenic.html
- Asbestos - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/asbestos.html
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/carbonmonoxidepoisoning.html
- Food Contamination and Poisoning - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/foodcontaminationandpoisoning.html
- Household Products - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/householdproducts.html
- Lead Poisoning - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/leadpoisoning.html
- Mercury - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mercury.html
- Pesticides - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pesticides.html
- Poisoning, Toxicology, Environmental Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/poisoningtoxicologyenvironmentalhealth.html
- Safety Issues - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/safetyissues.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Poisoning is the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - http://www.niehs.nih.gov/