American Poison Centers support the nation's 55 Poison Centers in their efforts to prevent and treat poison exposures. Poison Centers offer free, confidential medical advice 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through the Poison Help Line at: 1-800-222-1222 (www.poisonhelp.org). This service provides a primary resource for poisoning information and helps reduce costly emergency department visits through in-home treatment.
The America's Poison Centers mission is to actively advance the healthcare role and public health mission of members through information, advocacy, education, and research. See the posters below for advice for babysitters, teens, and children.
Caring for children is a great job, and keeping children safe is a serious and important part of babysitting. In fact, poisoning is one of the most common childhood injuries. Most of the time poisoning happens right at home. Children who are between the ages of 8 months and 6 years old are the most likely to be poisoned.
We’re a generation dependent on smart phones and search engines, and though the Internet can sometimes solve some problems, it’s not likely to save our lives. Poisons act fast. Don’t waste time searching for poison information, which is far too complex to be accurate on a website; call the Poison Help number instead. Every second counts, and you get treatment advice specific to your own situation, free and confidentially.
You can get poisoned by eating, drinking, touching, or smelling something that can make you sick or hurt you. Some things, like medicine, can make you sick if you take the wrong kind, or if you take too much. Always ask a trusted grown-up before you take any medicine. Never put anything in your mouth if you are not sure if it is safe to eat. Ask a grown-up first!
