Toxicologists use the term "poison exposure" instead of "poisoning" to refer to an incident involving a person who swallows or comes in contact with a substance that might be poisonous. Contact could be swallowing, splashed in the eyes or on the skin, breathed in, or injected. Often the substance isn't as toxic as one initially thinks it might be, or the amount taken is so low that no bad effect is expected. Since symptoms may not develop, technically these exposures can't be called "poisonings".
If you took too much of a medicine, swallowed something that might be poisonous, splashed a product on your eye or skin, or inhaled fumes, webPOISONCONTROL can help you decide if it's safe to stay home, or if a call to Poison Control or visit to an emergency room is required. Use webPOISONCONTROL if the exposed person meets all these criteria:
Don't use this tool if you (or the exposed person) are:
If this tool doesn't address your problem, or if you'd rather talk to a real person, don't hesitate to call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for immediate and expert assistance (U.S. only). If you're already in a panic, there's no substitute for the calming voice of a specialist. So don't hesitate to pick up the phone and call Poison Control when you need help.
It usually takes less than 3 minutes. It could take a bit longer if you don't know the age or weight of the exposed person, the name of the product, or the amount involved.
Use of the webPOISONCONTROL tool is free. Download it to your smart phone, too. On your smart phone you can scan the barcode of a product to make it faster to determine the specific substance.
We ask for your zip code so we can get your case to the right local poison center in case more help is needed. Your poison center can assist you more quickly if their experts already have a summary of your case.
We use your email address to follow-up with you and make sure that everything is OK. Based on the substance and time since the exposure, we'll tell you when you should expect emails from us, and these are usually limited to the first day or two after the exposure occurred. Once you are beyond the point of any risk from the substance, based on what we know about the timing of effects from that substance, we'll stop sending emails. We promise!
You will never be required to enter your name or mailing address, but if we refer you to a hospital, we'll give you a chance to give us your name and the name of the hospital so your poison center can assist the doctors with your care.
We protect your privacy. You case information resides within our application and is handled as confidential medical information. That's a double layer of privacy protection since in most cases, we don't even ask for your name. We share your blinded case information with your local poison center, but if you are sent to an ER or admitted to a hospital, your local poison center may share the information with the doctors and nurses who are taking care of you in order to facilitate your care. We will never use your information for commercial purposes. (See our Privacy Policy for more information.)
In some cases it may be easier to call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 (U.S. only).
Most U.S. poison centers provide free phone stickers, refrigerator magnets, and poison prevention brochures and posters, but provide them only for residents of their designated service area. Call 1-800-222-1222 to reach your poison center and ask for instructions on ordering materials in your state. Call during normal business hours. If you live in the DC metro area, you can order materials through this website.