If you’ve ever called poison control, you probably already have a deep appreciation for the voice on the other end of the line who provides solid answers, emanates calm, and empowers you to take whatever steps necessary to be safe and healthy. If you haven’t, this episode will turn you into a superfan anyway. How did this incredibly valuable yet often overlooked service come to be, and why did it arise when it did? In the first of what ends up being a two-part ode to poison control centers, we explore the origins of poison control centers in the US, from the early days when literally one guy answered calls from all over the country to the lifesaving nationwide coordinated organization it is today? Tune in to find out!
| History | Biology |
| Arena, Jay M. “The pediatrician’s role in the poison control movement and poison prevention.” American Journal of Diseases of Children 137.9 (1983): 870-873. | Gummin, D.D., Mowry, J.B., Beuhler, M.C., Spyker, D.A., Rivers, L.J., Feldman, R., Brown, K., Pham, N.P., Bronstein, A.C. and DesLauriers, C., 2023. 2022 Annual Report of the National Poison Data System®(NPDS) from America’s Poison Centers®: 40th Annual Report. Clinical Toxicology, 61(10), pp.717-939. |
| Burda, Anthony M., and Natalie M. Burda. “Taking a Stand against Accidental Childhood Poisoning: The Founding of the Nation’s First Poison Control Center in Chicago.” Journal of Pharmacy Practice 13.1 (2000): 6-13. | King, W.D. and Palmisano, P.A., 1991. Poison control centers: can their value be measured?. Southern medical journal, 84(6), pp.722-726. |
| Burnham, John C. “How the discovery of accidental childhood poisoning contributed to the development of environmentalism in the United States.” Environmental History Review 19.3 (1995): 57-81. | Miller, T.R. and Lestina, D.C., 1997. Costs of poisoning in the United States and savings from poison control centers: a benefit-cost analysis. Annals of emergency medicine, 29(2), pp.239-245. |
| Dart, Richard C. “The secret life of America’s poison centers.” Annals of emergency medicine 59.1 (2012): 62-66. | Farkas, A., Kostic, M., Huang, C.C. and Gummin, D., 2022. Poison center consultation reduces hospital length of stay. Clinical toxicology, 60(7), pp.863-868. |
| Board on Health Promotion, Disease Prevention, and Committee on Poison Prevention. Forging a poison prevention and control system. National Academies Press, 2004. | World Health Organization. “World Directory of poisons centres” https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/indicator-groups/poison-control-and-unintentional-poisoning |
| Guyer, Bernard, and Anne Mavor. “Forging a poison prevention and control system: report of an Institute of Medicine committee.” Academic Pediatrics 5.4 (2005): 197. | Pourmand, A., Wang, J. and Mazer, M., 2012. A survey of poison control centers worldwide. DARU Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 20, pp.1-3. |
| Jones, Marian Moser, and Isidore Daniel Benrubi. “Poison politics: a contentious history of consumer protection against dangerous household chemicals in the United States.” American journal of public health 103.5 (2013): 801-812. | Huynh, A., Cairns, R., Brown, J.A., Jan, S., Robinson, J., Lynch, A.M., Wylie, C., Buckley, N.A. and Dawson, A.H., 2020. Health care cost savings from Australian Poisons Information Centre advice for low risk exposure calls: SNAPSHOT 2. Clinical Toxicology, 58(7), pp.752-757. |
| LoVecchio, Frank, et al. “Poison control centers decrease emergency healthcare utilization costs.” Journal of medical toxicology 4 (2008): 221-224. | CDC: May 14, 2024 Drug Overdose Death Rates. https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates#:~:text=Figure%202.,overdose%20deaths%20reported%20in%202022. |
| Press, Edward, and Robert B. Mellins. “A poisoning control program.” American Journal of Public Health and the Nations Health 44.12 (1954): 1515-1525. | American Association of Poison Control Centers, 2012. Final report on the value of the Poison Center System.commissioned by AAPCC submitted by The Lewin Group, Inc, consulting firm. |
| Scherz, Robert G., and William O. Robertson. “The history of poison control centers in the United States.” Clinical Toxicology 12.3 (1978): 291-296. | Spiller, H.A. and Griffith, J.R., 2009. The value and evolving role of the US Poison Control Center System. Public Health Reports, 124(3), pp.359-363. |
| Spiller, Henry A., and Jill RK Griffith. “The value and evolving role of the US Poison Control Center System.” Public Health Reports 124.3 (2009): 359-363. | |
| Temple, Anthony R. “Poison control centers: prospects and capabilities.” Annual review of pharmacology and toxicology 17.1 (1977): 215-222. |
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, you won’t pay a penny more, but we’ll get a small commission which helps us keep things running. Thanks!
