What is a Poison

Any substance taken in any amount that is not normally taken can be a poison. Even water can be a deadly poison if someone drinks way to much of it in a water drinking contest for example. Millions of people are unintentionally poisoned each year, and children under the age of six are at the greatest risk. Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of people intentionally attempt to hurt themselves by ingesting a poison or overdosing on medications each year.  For medication overdose suicide attempters the  Arkansas Poison Center can provide life saving treatment advice to medical personnel in hospital emergency rooms where usually the poisoned patient will recover physically, receive mental health counseling and go on to live a happy and productive life.

Most dangerous:

• Medicines
• Carbon monoxide
• Cleaning products
• Antifreeze
• Windshield washer fluid
• Pesticides
• Wild mushrooms
• Hydrocarbons: gasoline, furniture polish, lighter fluid, lamp oil, turpentine, paint thinner.