Wyoming Department of Health: Keep Poison Help Number Handy

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WDH 3-21-17

Keeping the Wyoming Poison Center number handy can help families stay safe and prevent poison-related tragedies, according to a Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) representative.

Wyoming Poison Center help can be reached by calling 1-800-222-1222. “We want people to keep this number visible in their homes and workplaces and to also consider programming it into their phones,” said Andy Gienapp, WDH Office of Emergency Medical Services manager.

Shireen Banerji, Wyoming Poison Center clinical manager, said “Poisonings can happen anywhere, anytime to anyone. We assume most poisonings happen to children who accidentally swallow something, and, yes, there are plenty of those situations. But adults can be poisoned at home or work by chemicals, pesticides, cleaners, bites and stings, medications and food.”

“Poison prevention requires vigilance from all members in the household and extended family, including babysitters, nannies and teachers,” Banerji said.

The Wyoming Poison Center handled more than 5,000 cases in 2016.

The WDH Office of Emergency Medical Services supports funding for Wyoming Poison Center services. The center is part of the Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Center (RMPDC), located in Denver.

Gienapp noted poisonings are the leading cause of death by injury. Related facts include:
• Most poisoning deaths are due to misuse and abuse of licit and illicit drugs.
• In 2015, about 57 percent of all exposure cases involved pharmaceuticals. Other exposures were to household products, plants, mushrooms, pesticides, animal bites and stings, carbon monoxide and many other types of non- pharmaceutical substances.
• Ingestion was the exposure route in almost 84 percent of 2015 cases. People were also exposed through the lungs, skin, eyes and other routes.

For additional poisoning prevention tips and resources, visit the Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Center website at www.rmpdc.org.