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Get Poison Control Help

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.

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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.

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Tip of the Day

Laundry detergent pods (single-use packets) can cause serious illness in toddlers who bite into these colorful packets. Severe vomiting, breathing problems, and death have occurred. These effects usually occur very soon after the packets are bitten into.

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Poison & 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.

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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.

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Carbon Monoxide: The Invisible Killer

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.

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The Poison Post® Free quarterly e-newsletter

2.23

Do Air Fryers Cause Cancer?

Acrylamide is a chemical that can be created by cooking processes including baking, air frying, and toasting. Acrylamide is considered a probable human carcinogen based on the results of studies in laboratory animals. However, there is no substantive evidence linking dietary acrylamide consumption to cancer in humans. Learn more

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Do Your Part

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. To downlaod our vcard, text poison to 202-677-7600. The vcard has the Poison Control telephone number and the link to online help. Save Poison Control contact info NOW!

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