Poison Center Call Log Full of Humor and Parental Terror

Image by Greg O'Beirne via Wikimedia Commons Using a CC License

Poison centers, which usually amount to phone banks with physicians or trained specialists standing by 24-hours a day, are one of those little public services that can literally save lives with a few words. Last month, the Illinois Poison Control Center published a “Day in the Life of a Poison Center” on its blog, showing the nature of each of the calls it received one day/night cycle. Sometime the entries were a little funny:

35. A 68 year old man accidentally used capsaicin cream instead of hemorrhoid cream.

Yeah. Ouch.

But many more of them represent those little moments in every parent’s life that can be filled with pure terror:

10. A 2 year old was found sucking on the nozzle of Formula 409® kitchen cleaner.

The interesting thing is that even hospitals also call poison centers for consultations on emergency cases. Poison centers save lives, and it’s a little piece of mind to have your local center’s number handy around the house or on your mobile phone. And in an emergency, you can get quick results at the website for the American Association of Poison Control Centers, whose toll-free number is 1-800-222-1222.

Thanks to Tony Chen for sending is this story idea.