Poison Prevention Week

March 16, 2020

Every year in the UK there are around 160,000 NHS emergency department presentations as a result of poisoning; this could be due to self-harm, drug misuse, medication errors etc. Therefore there is the need for healthcare professionals to access up-to-date information about the effects of these substances and their clinical management.

The National Poisons Information Service (NPIS) provides this information via the internet database TOXBASE as well as a 24-hour telephone advice line manned by specialists in poisons information, supported by consultant clinical toxicologists. The Birmingham unit of the NPIS is located at City Hospital with 10 Specialists in poisons information and two consultant clinical toxicologists.

Poison Prevention Week aims to raise awareness of poisoning and highlight the dangers of poisonings for people of all ages.

To celebrate the week, each day we will be offering tips around poison prevention and staying safe.

Today’s tip is:

Keep household products and medicines locked up.  Put them where children can’t see them or reach them.

Liquid laundry detergent capsules can cause severe poisonings in small children, drawn to them by their bright colours and appearance.  Although legislation was introduced to make packaging more secure exposures still occur and these should always be kept in a safe place.

Reed diffusers are a common cause of poisoning in young children and should always be kept out of reach of young children.  They contain a variety of different ingredients, some of which are extremely harmful.

For more information or if you would like assistance with the use of TOXBASE please do not hesitate to get in touch with michael.beech@nhs.net or e.moyns@nhs.net from the national poisons information service.