Contact Poison Control right away if you suspect a poisoning. Help is available online with webPOISONCONTROL® or by phone at 1-800-222-1222. Both options are free, expert, and confidential.
Call 911 right away if the individual collapses, has a seizure, has trouble breathing, or can't be awakened.
Mixed up your meds? Found a loose pill? Worried that your refill looks different? Most medications can be identified from the letters and numbers imprinted on the pill.
Identify a pill
Poison Control is not just for parents whose small children have gotten into the medicine or cleaning cabinet. We also provide free and confidential life-saving information for suicide attempts, medication errors, drug interactions or adverse drug reactions as well as chemical spills or occupational exposures. Immediate, expert, free, 24/7 poison help is available online, with webPOISONCONTROL®, or by phone at 1-800-222-1222.
Swallowed batteries burn through a child's esophagus in just 2 hours, leading to surgery, months with feeding and breathing tubes, and even death. About the size of a nickel, 20 mm, 3-volt lithium coin cells are the most hazardous as they are big enough to get stuck and burn faster. Secure battery compartments and keep loose batteries away from children.
Electronic cigarettes (e-Cigs) are devices made to look like real cigarettes. They contain a battery, a heater, and liquid nicotine. When heated, the nicotine liquid becomes a vapor, which users inhale. Liquid nicotine products contain flavorings and something to help the product vaporize. Liquid nicotine products are very poisonous if swallowed.
It's not an intriguing or novel hazard, just the persistent, invisible killer: carbon monoxide. Seriously, you still don't have a carbon monoxide alarm in every sleeping area of your home? Get one! And keep fuel-burning appliances in good repair; don't use grills or gasoline-powered tools indoors, and don't run your car in an attached garage or place a generator close to your home.
12.20
Glass Christmas ornaments can be attractive to young children and can break easily. Stepping or crawling on the glass is a problem, but some ornaments also contain lead, mercury, or methylene chloride, which can poison children if they touch, taste, or swallow them. Even though they are sharp, small glass pieces usually pass through the digestive tract uneventfully.
View past issues Subscribe
Poison Control reduces poisoning-related ER visits, a critical part of preserving valuable healthcare resources for coronavirus (COVID-19) care.
Do your part to reduce unnecessary ER visits by saving Poison Control's contact information. Text poison to 484848 or download our vcard. The vcard has the Poison Control telephone number and the link to online help. Save Poison Control contact info NOW!
Download vcard
With the onset of coronavirus (COVID-19), schools, day cares, and businesses are closed. Many of us are working remotely while trying to juggle the family. Hand sanitizer, cleaning products, and wipes, are within close reach of our children. Our use of medications may be different than it was last week. Chloroquine is a new household word. These changes make it a prime time for unintentional poisonings to happen right at home. Contact Poison Control FIRST for poison help.
Get help online