Calgary 
Health Canada has launched a new toll-free number to make it easier for Canadians to access critical medical advice for poisoning, as many Canadians do not know the phone number of their local poison centre. This is important as over 1,500 people in Canada lose their lives, and nearly 8,000 are hospitalized due to unintentional poisoning from household items annually.
By calling 1-844 POISON-X, the new toll-free number, the caller will be re-routed to their local poison centre, regardless of where they are calling from in the country. Poison centres are the 24/7 access point for medical professionals and the public to access medical treatment advice for exposures to drugs and chemicals.
Health Canada is working with all provinces and territories to implement the new toll-free number 1-844 POISON-X, but Quebec will continue using its current provincial number. Callers from Quebec accessing the national toll-free service will be directed to Centre antipoison du Québec (1-800-463-5060).
In 2020, Canada’s poison centres managed 215,589 cases, with more than one-third involving a child aged 5 or under. The most common substances involved in cases managed by poison centres were medications for pain relief (analgesics) and household cleaning products, such as bleach.
Per the news release, poison centres manage 63% or almost two-thirds of cases remotely without the requirement to enter a health care facility.
Unfortunately, a 2020 Ipsos online survey of Canadian parents found that only 40% knew about poison centre services or how to contact their respective poison centres.
President of the Canadian Association for Poison Centres and Clinical Toxicology, Dr. Margaret Thompson, said in a statement, “A single toll-free number to access the essential services of poison centres across Canada has been a long time coming and has been the vision of the Canadian Association of Poison Centres and Clinical Toxicology for over 20 years. Health Canada has embraced our vision and has made this possible for all Canadians with funding and hundreds of hours of work.”
According to the news release, the launch of this toll-free number is made possible through Health Canada’s investment in the Canadian Surveillance System for Poison Information (CSSPI). The CSSPI helps aggregate, analyze, and interpret pan-Canadian poison centre information in real-time to inform poison prevention and harm reduction activities.
Health Canada is reminding Canadians to take careful steps to store potential poisons safely to prevent unintentional poisoning and learn what to do in case of poisoning. The Health Canada website provides information on safely buying, using, storing, and disposing of drugs, health products, and household chemicals.
