Single number to be used for poison calls
By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Health Writer
The federal government has launched a national poison emergency hotline that replaces the various local phone numbers that parents and others have called.
"No matter where you are, it's the same number," said state deputy health director Dr. Linda Rosen.
Although Hawai'i residents will now call (800) 222-1222, their calls will be answered by the same people as the old number: the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center in Denver, which has fielded Hawai'i's calls for the past two years.
1. Bites and stings Source: State Dept. of Health
Rosen said the hotline receives nearly 12,000 calls a year from Hawai'i. Forty-seven percent of the calls involve children 5 years old and younger, she said. Last year, 385 calls were about pets or other animals.
Most common poison calls in Hawai'i
2. Cosmetics and personal care products
3. Pain relief medication
4. Cleaning products
5. Pesticides
6. Swallowed objects
7. Food poisoning
8. Plants
9. Ointments and creams
10. Cough and cold medication
Debbie Ahina, a director at Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women & Children, said the hospital will continue to run education, prevention and community outreach programs on poisons, depending on the availability of grant money.
Ahina said the staff at Kapi'olani has specific training on Hawai'i's plants and marine creatures, including Portuguese man-of-war, spiders, sea urchins and "our insects that bite and sting."
Health officials offer other tips for safeguarding people from poisons:
• Keep the poison hotline number on or near your telephone.
• If you suspect poisoning, call the hotline immediately.
• Store toxic chemicals, products and medicines out of reach of children or in a locked cabinet.
• Teach children to ask first before eating or drinking things they find.
• Know the names of plants in your home and yard.
