In an Emergency
1. Call the Poison Center Hotline (1-800-222-1222) if you or another person have been poisoned, or think you have been exposed to something that might cause an unwanted and/or unexpected reaction.
2. Remain calm - the majority of poison emergencies can be resolved quickly; over the phone
3. Call 9-1-1 if the person is unconscious or has difficulty breathing.
Poison Prevention Educators: Don't forget to order free education materials for your Illinois Poison Prevention Month events in March! Deadline for priority mailing is Feb. 10! Order now!
Celebrate Illinois Poison Prevention Month
Celebrate Illinois Poison Prevention Month (IPPM)
March 1-31
And Everbody Wins!
Each year, U.S. Poison Centers receive more than four million poisoning exposures calls. The Illinois Poison Center (IPC) handles nearly 100,000 calls annually via its toll-free, confidential hotline (1-800-222-1222). Of those calls, more than half involved children 5 years of age and under but the most serious calls involved an adult. Calls range from people exposed to a variety of substances that can be potentially harmful causing minimal to fatal reaction (medications, vitamins/supplements, plants, chemicals household/automotive products, insect/animal bites and stings, lead, carbon monoxide, etc.)
For children ages 18-36 months, poisoning is
the #1 cause
of injury-related hospitalization and death
Poisoning is the leading cause of unintentional injury-related adult deaths in the U.S. surpassing firearms and motor vehicle accidents as causes. Nine (9) out of 10 poisoning deaths are caused by drugs/medications.
It's Easy To Make a Difference..Throughout March, share FREE poison prevention information with your family, friends, coworkers and/or community:
- First...Get the facts: If you haven’t already done so, complete the IPC’s quick, free online Poison Prevention Education Course and learn more about poison prevention, poison centers and how to be eligible for $1,000 worth of prizes!!!
- Order Free IPPM poison prevention materials from the Poison Prevention Education Resource Center before the end of February and be eligible for two (2) Random Prize Drawings! Priorty placed on orders received by Sunday, Feb. 19.
Children's Paint Sheet IPPM Complimentary Packet
- Save the number to your phone and encourage others to do so as well: 1-800-222-1222
- Check out the March blog series to get the scoop on the experts who answer the IPC hotline phones
- Join the March Twitter chat series for a variety of interesting topics
- Download the FREE Poison Center Help App now available in the iTune store
- Place the following message at the end of every email you send during the month of March: "Join me in celebrating Illinois Poison Prevention Month (March 1-31) and get Free Poison Prevention Materials and Prizes!"
- Post the same message on your Facebook wall
- Tweet the same message
- Add the IPC badge to your Web site, blog, or social networking profile
- Send a complimentary packet to someone in your family or a friend.
- Submit and/or forward the newsletter template to your organization’s newsletter, article, listserv or your personal social media
- Invite kids/students to play/view a variety of poison prevention computer games and videos check it out
To view 2012 Illinois Poison Prevention Month Proclamation signed by Governor Pat Quinn click here and to view the proclamation signed Chicago's Mayor Rahm Emanuel click here.
To view pictures of Illinois Poison Prevention Month past events click here.
