Washington Poison Center releases 2018 annual data reports
The Washington Poison Center (WAPC) is proud to continue our release of our 2018 Data Reports. In addition to updates and new trends on previously published reports on Opioids, Cannabis, and Nicotine, we are excited to be releasing 2 new reports: Children and Adolescent Self-Poisoning and Cannabis.
Based on calls to the WAPC, since retail cannabis stores opened in 2014, unintentional cannabis exposure calls for children 0-5 years have almost tripled. Of all routes of exposures, there has been an 82% increase in calls involving ingestions of cannabis products in all age groups since 2016.
The WAPC provides a 24/7/365 emergency helpline for all Washingtonians, providing immediate expert toxicology consultation on poisonings and toxic exposures from highly trained health care professionals.
- In 2018, we took 113,586 calls involving 64,139 patients.
- Our robust database contains over 1.7million cases, allowing us to analyze and study epidemiologic trends in our state that can assist with public health strategies for intervention and also serving as a rich data source for public health, epidemiologic, and medical research.
- The WAPC has the only system in Washington that provides near real- time toxicosurveillance, allowing us to detect emerging and age-specific trends of drug overdoses, use and abuse of new emerging illicit substances, and public health threats due to chemical substances and biologic toxins.
- Our toll-free Poison Helpline, 1-800-222-1222 is free, confidential and always available, providing expertise that no other agency in Washington state can provide.
