background

Get Help ONLINE OR BY PHONE

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.

Get Help OnlineorCall 1-800-222-1222

Call 911 right away if the individual collapses, has a seizure, has trouble breathing, or can’t be awakened.

Donate Now
Available on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

Need help identifying a pill?

Mixed up your meds? Found a loose pill? Worried that your refill looks different? Fortunately, most medications can be identified from the letters and numbers imprinted on the pill.

Identify a Pill

Tip of the Day

Never store or discard cigarettes and other nicotine products within a child's reach. Always make sure that discarded nicotine products, such as cigarette butts, chewing tobacco, flavored tobacco, nicotine gum or patches, are out of sight and beyond the reach of children and pets.

Learn more

Poison and Prevention Information

Batteries Cause Devastating Injuries

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.

Learn more

E-Cigs and Toddlers: Beware

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.

Learn more

Carbon Monoxide: What You Need to Know

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.

Learn more

The Poison Post® Free quarterly e-newsletter

5.24

Are Sunscreen Products Safe?

Sunscreens are generally considered safe. The risk of an adverse effect varies depending on which active ingredients are in the product. Sunscreens can sometimes cause skin irritation, rash, and allergic contact dermatitis. Toxicity is low if accidentally swallowed, applied to the eyes, or inhaled. Sunscreen can be applied to children 6 months of age and older. Learn more

This issue also contains:

View Past IssuesSubscribe

webPOISONCONTROL

Did you know you can get help from Poison Control without calling? There’s a do-it-yourself poison control tool and app. webPOISONCONTROL has helped over one million people figure out what to do after a possible poisoning. Just answer a few questions about what happened and you’ll get a safe and accurate recommendation in less than 3 minutes. webPOISONCONTROL will tell you exactly what to do.

Learn more.

 

 

First Aid for Poisonings

Poison Control is here to help if you swallow or come in contact with something that might be poisonous. Don't wait for symptoms to develop. Contact Poison Control immediately if you suspect a poisoning. Before you contact us, there are first aid measures that make a difference if accomplished within seconds to minutes of the poison exposure. Be sure you know about them. 

webPOISONCONTROL Data Dashboard

The webPOISONCONTROL data analysis dashboard is the only free and publicly available online source of national (U.S.), near real-time poison exposure data. Find out more about the dashboard so you can fully explore data summaries and trends of poisonings from common substances like personal care products, cleaning substances, medicines, pesticides, plants, bites and stings, and more. 

graph showing top ten exposure substance categories