Florida Poison Information Center

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When a poisoning occurs, call toll-free
1-800-222-1222
24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

We provide expert advice in poisoning emergencies.
Florida Poison Information Center – Tampa provides free confidential 24-hour telephone access to emergency advice in cases of exposure to poison. We assist with over with 40,000 poisonings per year. Over 80% of accidental poisonings can be safely treated at home with our guidance. Within minutes, our professionals can advise if treatment should be carried out at a hospital or at home. We follow up with you by phone until the crisis is over.

We provide information on the following:

Bites & stings from insects, spiders, reptiles, marine life
Household & personal products
Pesticides & chemicals
Food poisoning
Plants and mushrooms
Prescription & over-the-counter medicine
Herbal & dietary supplements drugs
Substances of abuse

We provide expert advice to health care
providers in poisoning emergencies.
The Florida Poison Information Center – Tampa is staffed by nurses, pharmacists and physicians trained in toxicology. We provide medical professionals with free 24-hour access to medical toxicologists who can assist in caring for poisoned patients. If you are a health care provider and would like to speak to a medical toxicologist, call 1-800-222-1222.

We provide poison prevention education and materials for the public.
We provide education programs for all ages on any of the topics listed above. We have a number of materials available in English and Spanish described on the Order Brochures page. For more information about education programs, contact JoAnn Chambers-Emerson at jchamber@tgh.org or call (813) 844-7982.

We provide education for health care providers.
We also provide presentations regarding the evaluation and treatment of poisonings. If you are interested in scheduling a continuing education program or receiving education materials, contact our Educator, JoAnn Chambers-Emerson, RN at jchamber@tgh.org or call (813) 844-7982.

We perform poisoning surveillance and reporting to help protect the public health.
The Florida Poison Information Center – Tampa provides ongoing 24-hour surveillance of poisonings and unusual symptom occurrences. Data is gathered hourly from our center and other poison centers across the country by the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) to track poisoning trends.