Now: Single Poison-Control Phone Number
For the first time, Americans can use a single toll-free telephone number to reach a poison control center anywhere in the nation. Officials recently launched the national hotline, 1-800-222-1222, and applauded it as an overdue coordination of the country’s 65 separately run poison centers. Callers dialing the number will be automatically linked to the closest poison center. The new number is part of a $21 million federal effort to update poison control centers across the country.
Centers field calls on approximately 2.2 million suspected poisonings per year, mostly involving young children. About 75 % of all poisonings can be safely handled at home with the help of a poison center aide, though 700 to 800 calls to centers each year end in fatalities, according to Dr. Alan Woolf, president of the American Association of Poison Control Centers.
Household cleaners and chemicals make up the bulk of poisonous substances in homes, though perfumes, medications, and spider and animal bites can also lead to poisoning.