Poison Related Facts

National

  • Each year, between 2 to 4 million actual poisonings occur in the United States.
  • Approximately 90% of poisonings occur in the home. Poisoning can occur at any time of the day or night, but peak hours are generally between 4PM and 11PM.
  • On average, poison control centers handle one poison exposure every 8 seconds.
  • Most poisoning exposures are unintentional and the majority occur in children under the age of six.
  • Annually, of all the calls to a poison control center about a potential poisoning, more than 70% of calls are managed on-site and outside of a health care facility, meaning that the caller gets the help they need over the phone without having to go to a doctor or the hospital.
  • Poison Control Centers Improve Patient Care. Every 90 seconds a health care professional consults a poison control center.

Source: American Association of Poison Control Centers – www.aapcc.org

New Jersey

  • NJPIES received a total of 71,090 poison-related calls.
  • There were 55,764 poison exposures reported.
  • Over 50% of all poison exposures occurred in children under the age of six.
  • Eighty-two percent of poison exposures were unintentional.
  • Approximately 70% of calls were made from a New Jersey residence.
  • Fifteen percent of calls originated from a health care facility or medical professional.
  • Nearly three-quarters of exposure calls were treated on- site with phone advice and assistance from the NJ Poison Control Center.

Source: 2009 New Jersey Poison Information and Education System (NJPIES)