Poison Control Center

From WikiMD.org
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Poison Control Center

A Poison Control Center (pronounced: poy-zuhn kuh n-trohl sen-ter) is a specialized medical facility that provides immediate, free, and expert treatment advice and assistance over the telephone in case of exposure to poisonous or hazardous substances.

Etymology

The term "Poison Control Center" is derived from the English words "poison" (from the Latin potionem meaning "drink" or "draught"), "control" (from the Middle French contreroller meaning "to check or restrain"), and "center" (from the Latin centrum meaning "middle point").

Related Terms

  • Toxicology: The study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms.
  • Antidote: A substance that can counteract a form of poisoning.
  • Toxin: A poisonous substance produced within living cells or organisms.
  • Hazardous Substance: Any substance or compound that has the capability of producing adverse effects on the health and safety of humans.
  • Emergency Medicine: The medical specialty dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of unforeseen illness or injury.

Function

A Poison Control Center provides information about the prevention and treatment of poison exposures. They also provide information about the potential toxicity of drugs, household products, plants, chemicals, venomous creatures, and other substances.

Contacting a Poison Control Center

In the United States, the Poison Control Center can be reached by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline at 1-800-222-1222, which routes the call to the appropriate center.

See Also

External links

Esculaap.svg

This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.


Languages: - East Asian 中文, 日本, 한국어, South Asian हिन्दी, Urdu, বাংলা, తెలుగు, தமிழ், ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, မြန်မာဘာသာ, European español, Deutsch, français, русский, português do Brasil, Italian, polski