About Poisoning
What is a poison?
A poison is any substance that can harm your body, make you sick or even kill you if used in the wrong way. Poisons can enter the body through the following:
- Mouth – Eating/Drinking
- Nose – Smelling
- Skin – Touching
- Eyes
Most poisonings involve everyday household items such as medicines, cleaning supplies, cosmetics and personal care items.
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Who gets poisoned?
Children and Poison
- 50.7 percent of poison exposures occur in children under the age of six.*
- The most common forms of poison exposure for children under the age of six are cosmetics and personal care products (13.4%), cleaning substances (9.8%), analgesics (8.2%) and foreign bodies (7.4%).*
- Although children younger than six years were involved in more than 50% of poisoning reports, they account for just 1.9% of the fatalities.*
Teens and Poison
- More than 171,000 cases of poison exposure were reported among teenagers in 2005.*
- In children between ages 13 and 19, the majority of poison exposures (54.5 %) involve girls. In children under 13, the reverse is true, with the majority of these exposures involving boys. 89.6 percent of reported adolescent deaths from poison exposure were due to intentional poison exposure such as suicide or drug abuse.*
Adults and Poison
- Over 8, 500 poison exposures in 2005 occurred in pregnant women.*
- Over 70 percent of all poison fatalities occur in adults ages 20 to 59.*
- While adults 60 and over account for just over 5 percent of poison exposures, they account for 16.3 percent of the fatalities.*
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Facts
- Over two million poison exposures were reported to local poison centers in 2005.*
- On average, poison centers handle one poison exposure every 13 seconds.*
- Nationally, 73.5 % of all exposures are treated on the site where they occurred, generally the patient’s home with phone advice and assistance from local poison control experts.*
- In New Jersey, approximately 80% of the calls from residences were effectively treated at home.
- Approximately 10 percent of all exposure calls originate from a Healthcare facility or medical professional.
- Approximately 90 percent of all poison exposures occur in the home.
- 73 percent of poison exposures in New Jersey occur in the home.
- 91.3 percent of exposures involve only one poisonous substance. *
- 83.8 percent of poison exposures are unintentional.*
- 76.7 percent of poison exposures involve ingestion of a poisonous substance. Other causes include breathing in poison gas, getting foreign substances in the eyes or on the skin, and bites and stings.*
* Data from the 2005 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers National Poisoning and Exposure Database, which is complied by the American Association of Poison Control Centers in cooperation with the majority of U.S. poison centers.
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Statistics
Coming soon.
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Educational Programs
The Education Department at NJPIES offers several FREE programs with the purpose of empowering NJ Residents with the information necessary to adhere to poison safe practices in their homes, workplace, and community. Please find the descriptions below detailing NJPIES’ children, parent, adult, senior, and train the trainer programs.
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Children's Programs
Program Objective:
The Education Department at NJPIES has developed several FREE age specific programs for children. These programs are designed to instruct students on methods of poison safety and increase awareness regarding poisons. Each Program is about 30-45 minutes in length and are facilitated by an NJPIES Educator. Programs include interactive components such as games and videos and encourage a discussion in a Q & A atmosphere. Free educational materials will be provided to all participants.
NJPIES offers the following programs:
 Preschool Program: Spike’s Poison Prevention Adventure: Daycares and preschools are encouraged to facilitate this exciting and enjoyable poison prevention presentation in their classrooms! The Spike’s Poison Prevention Adventure video can be downloaded from our site for FREE! The accompanying lesson plans and program materials are available for download under the link “Lesson Plans.”
Download Spike’s Poison Prevention Adventure Video:
- 1 & 2nd Grade—Poison Patrol: This program covers what is a poison, how to identify poisons, typical types of poisons, the “Ask First Rule”, and general safety tips. Features a video and activity.
- 3rd - 5th Grade—Poison Safety Certificate: This program covers what is a poison, how to identify poisons, common household poisons, the “Ask First Rule,” and general safety tips.
- Download your Poison Patrol Certificate
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Adult Programs: Parents, Adults and Seniors
FREE 1 hour workshops for parents, adults, senior citizens, or health care providers are designed to draw attention to the importance of poison safety. The following outline details the topics that will be covered throughout the program with a focus on how it is applicable to daily life. This program includes interactive components and encourages a discussion in a Q & A atmosphere. Free educational materials will be provided to all participants.
Program Content:
- Identify and Define Poisons
- Poison Proof Your Home: Parents will learn how to maintain a child-safe environment in their home.
- Medication Safety: Program participants will learn how to poison proof their home and develop easy routines to manage a healthy lifestyle.
- Drugs, Alcohol, & Tobacco Poisoning: Participants will be alerted to the potential dangers of over the counter drugs, herbal and dietary supplements, and drug interactions.
- Outdoor Safety: Garden, pesticide, herbicide, and recreational safety tips will be discussed.
- Where to Get Help: Program will include a description of the range of services offers to seniors.
 Poison Control in Action video: Kick off your presentation with an inside look at poisoning and poisoning prevention for adults. Approx. 13 minutes play time for English version, 16 minutes play time for Spanish version.
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Train the Trainer – Under Development
NJPIES Educator/Provider Poison Prevention Program Training Workshop
Purpose/Goal:
To instruct providers on the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System’s methods and approaches to poison prevention education.
Objectives:
Upon completion of the Train the Trainer Workshop, participants will be able to:
- Conduct audience-specific poison prevention programs (i.e. seniors, parents, adolescents, children)
- Identify and approach target populations
- Apply concepts of cultural sensitivity to poison prevention lessons
- List and explain poison center services and its benefits
Program Design:
Train the Trainer is designed to increase awareness of the NJ State Poison Control Center and its services as well as call attention to the prevalence of unintentional poisonings. Most people, children and adults alike, are uninformed; and therefore do not consider poison a danger in their home. Contrary to this common misconception 73% of unintentional poisonings occur in the home. In fact, an unintentional poisoning is most likely to take place between the hours of 4pm and 11pm—when most adults are home with their children.
Train the Trainer is an interactive workshop and encourages participation and discussion in order to equip providers with the information necessary to facilitate poison prevention lessons. Generally speaking, the prevention topics covered by the offered lessons are; defining and identifying poisons, common household poisons, how to poison proof a home, child safety, adult safety, medication hazards, poison center services, outdoor safety and food safety.
Participants will receive a training manual which include six comprehensive lesson plans, each targeting a specific age group, supplementary classroom materials such as power point presentations, children’s activity sheets, FAQ’s, resource lists, and several resource appendices.
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Request a Program
To request a program, please click the above link.
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Educational Materials
Lesson Plans
Daycare/Preschool Lesson Plan: Spike’s Poison Prevention Adventure! Daycares and preschools are encouraged to facilitate this exciting and enjoyable poison prevention presentation in their classrooms! The Spike’s Poison Prevention Adventure video can be downloaded from our site for FREE! The accompanying lesson plans and program materials are available for download under the link “Lesson Plans.”
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Handouts/Coloring Sheets
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Medicines In My Home
The FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), in cooperation with Maryland's Montgomery County Public Schools and the National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE), has launched Medicines In My Home (MIMH), an interactive educational program intended to teach students in sixth through eighth grades about the safe and effective use of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. The website provides classroom materials and resources for teachers and online information for students and their families.
The program focuses on understanding components of the Drug Facts label. It also emphasizes that medicines should be used only with adult supervision and advises that a doctor or pharmacist is the best source to answer questions about medicines. Some of the printable materials are designed to encourage students to share what they learn with their families so that all family members can learn to use over-the-counter medicines more safely.
*adapted from the FDA’s Medicines In My Home website. www.fda.gov/medsinmyhome/
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Available Materials
The following educational materials are available to residents and providers in NJ. Please follow the link to order FREE educational materials today!
| Phone Stickers: An informative sticker sheet including three stickers to be placed on telephones as well as a medication safety do's and don'ts list to be placed in a medicine cabinet. Available in packets of 100. |
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| Phone Stickers (Spanish): An informative sticker sheet including three stickers to be placed on telephones as well as a medication safety do's and don'ts list to be placed in a medicine cabinet. Available in packets of 100.
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| Baby Sitters Do's & Don'ts: Gingerbread-shaped handout with useful poison safety tips for parents, babysitters, and childcare providers. Available in packets of 100. |
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| Baby Sitters Do's & Don'ts (Spanish): Gingerbread-shaped handout with useful poison safety tips for parents, babysitters, and childcare providers. Available in packets of 100. |
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| Carbon Monoxide Pamphlets: Two-sided brochure detailing the causes, symptoms, and effects of carbon monoxide poisoning. Available in packets of 100. |
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| Carbon Monoxide Pamphlets (Spanish): Two-sided brochure detailing the causes, symptoms, and effects of carbon monoxide poisoning. Available in packets of 100. |
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| Annual Report: Hard copy of current annual report. Available in limited quantity. (Pdf version available for download via website) |
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| Coloring Sheet Set: Set of worksheets and coloring sheets for children. 1 Copy per order. |
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| Medicine Spoons: Liquid medication dispenser. |
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| Poisons in the Home Brochure: Poison safety information pertaining to dangers in the home. Available in packets of 100. |
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| Poisons in the Home Brochure (Spanish): Poison safety information pertaining to dangers in the home. Available in packets of 100. |
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| Your Poison Center Brochure: Helpful information about NJ Poison Control Center and it's services. Available in packets of 100. |
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| Your Poison Center Brochure (Spanish): Helpful information about NJ Poison Control Center and it's services. Available in packets of 100. |
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| Look-A-Like Poster: 11 x 17 poster depicting various "safe" products that may be mistaken for potential poisons. (Example: Medicine and Candy) |
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| National 1-800 Poster: 11 x 17 poster depicting the National 1-800 logo and hotline number. |
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| National Pet Poster: 11 x 17 poster depicting the National 1-800 logo and a variety of pets. |
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| English 1-800 Magnet: 2 x 2 magnet with National Logo & 1-800 number |
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| Spanish 1-800 Magnet: 2 x 4 magnet with 1-800 number and short description of the Poison Center |
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| Hospital Stickers: Telephone stickers available to Healthcare facilities ONLY. |
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Request Materials
To request materials, please click the above link.
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Interactive Learning Tools
 Carbon Monoxide Awareness and Lead Learning Center:
Carbon Monoxide and Lead are dangerous poisons that can be found in and around homes and communities. Take a tour of our neighborhood in this interactive game to see what potential dangers might be around.
Click here to play |
 Toxie the Tox Mystery Cat:
ToxMystery is an e-learning game that uses animation, sound effects and positive reinforcement to help 7-11 year olds learn about possible chemical hazards around the home. ToxMystery en español's "Para los padres" (For Parents) page gives parents more detailed information about potential household hazards. The "Para maestros" (Teachers) page has lesson plans and downloadable classroom activity pages in Spanish. ToxMystery can be used in science and health classes.
Toxie, the ToxMystery guide cat, has returned to school and can now speak Spanish. By selecting the "Espanol" or "English" tab on the upper right of the homepage, gamers can move between Spanish and English as they explore the site's "house of hazards."
Come play with Toxie and see if you can find the hazards in English and en español! Click here to play |
 STOP! Ask First!:
Download the Stop! Ask First! Poison Prevention Video Click here to play
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Poison Adventure Games and Worksheets:
| LEVEL 1 - You can do it! |
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| LEVEL 2 - So you think you know poisons?! |
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| LEVEL 3 - Brain power required! |
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Worksheets |
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Internships
Health Education Internship at NJPIES:
The NJPIES Health Education Department has two open positions for any junior or senior undergraduate students. Interns will work closely with NJPIES Health Educators and be able to experience several aspects of health promotion and outreach. Some responsibilities may include writing press releases, attending educational programs, assisting and coordinating programs and events, establishing target audiences for project promotion and creating your own lesson plans and activities.
Student Requirements:
Students must be an undergraduate junior or senior and have had some public health or health education course work completed. Students must be willing to work at least 20 hours a week. Hours are flexible within the 8am to 4pm, Monday through Friday work week; however, students must be reliable. The Health Education Internship is offered each semester. If you would like to apply please email your resume to: Madhavi Kasinadhuni – madhavik@njpies.org or Letitia Johnson-Arnold – ljohnson@njpies.org . For questions please call 973 972 9280 ext. 104 or 106
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