SYRACUSE, N.Y. (February 7, 2023) – In 2022, Upstate New York Poison Center celebrated 65 years of service to our community. Our poison center staff helped in nearly 50,000 cases for a variety of poisons. One trend we saw a significant, worrisome number of cases is for unintentional ingestion of cannabis edibles in children.
In 2020, our poison center handled 364 cases concerning all cannabis products for all age groups. By 2022, that number has jumped to just shy of 700 cases. A scary change we saw start in 2021, is the largest number of calls for any cannabis product is now for cannabis edibles. The majority of those calls are for children 5 and under ingesting some form of cannabis edible.
As cannabis products become more widely available in 2023, we want to remind everyone to be sure they store any cannabis products up and away from children and consider buying a lock box.
“Our goal is to prevent all poisonings from happening but, in the meantime, we will continue to educate our community about safe storage of cannabis products, medications and other potential poisons commonly available in people’s homes,” says administrative director, Michele Caliva. “We remind you we are available to everyone, 24/7/365, whenever you need us, even to just ask a question at 1-800-222-1222.”
Key Facts from 2022:
- Our Specialists in Poison Information (RNs and Pharmacists) helped in nearly 50,000 cases in 2022
- The busiest months were January, May, and July
- 93% of our exposure calls happened at home
- 14% were for suspected suicide
Top 5 Poisonings in 2022 for All Age Groups:
- Analgesics (most exposure/information calls for: adult strength acetaminophen and ibuprofen)
- Household cleaning products (most exposure/information calls for: bleach)
- Cosmetics/personal care products (most exposure/information calls for: hand sanitizers)
- Antidepressants
- Sedative/Hypnotics/Antipsychotics (most exposure/information calls for: benzodiazepines)
Top 5 Poisonings in 2022 for Children 5 or Younger:
- Household cleaning products (most exposure/information calls for: bleach, laundry pods)
- Personal care products (most exposure/information calls for: hand sanitizers)
- Analgesics (most exposure/information calls for: children’s liquid acetaminophen)
- Foreign objects (most exposure/information calls for: toys, silica gel, glow sticks)
- Dietary supplements (most exposure/information calls for: melatonin)
Poison Prevention Tips:
- Keep medicines and household products locked up and away, where children cannot see or reach them, preferably in a medication lock box
- Store poisons in their original containers
- Use child-resistant packaging, but remember nothing is child-proof
- Take your medicines where children can’t watch
Upstate New York Poison Center 