Illinois Poison Center

08/06/2026

07/16/2026

With the air quality alert for parts of Illinois, our team at the IPC recommends staying indoors as much as possible to limit exposure to particulate matter from wildfire smoke. This is especially important for children, older adults, and individuals with respiratory conditions, who should keep windows closed until air quality improves and consider wearing a mask if going outside.

The National Weather Service has extended an ongoing air quality alert for most of the Chicago area as wildfire smoke continues to billow into the area.

07/14/2026

The first posters created by the IPC almost 30 years ago. It was before the national 1-800-222-1222 number was created. The IPC receives thousands of calls for pediatric ingestions of cleaning products every year. Keep household chemicals stored high, out of sight and out of reach, not under the kitchen sink.

07/10/2026

Poster from before the start of the 1-800-222-1222 number. Each poison center had its own number, ours was 1-800-942-5969. The text and picture are evergreen and we get dozens of calls on mushroom ingestions in the non-winter months.

07/02/2026

Adverse effects from GLP-1 dosing errors and therapeutic use are common calls to poison centers across the nation. We can help you with safe care at home and when to seek emergency care.

06/30/2026

Starting in November, there are age limits to Delta-8 and other h**p derived THC products. They will also be banned in the retail market and will only be available at cannabis dispensaries. Legal state designated dispensaries will carry Delta-9 THC products as well as the h**p derived products for recreational use.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill Friday that restricts the sale of intoxicating h**p products to the same ages as recreational ma*****na.

06/29/2026

GLP-1 cases reported to poison centers continue to increase. Most of the cases are from compounded drugs that require the user to draw up the medication in a syringe and self administer as opposed to the brand name automatic pens which do not lead to medication errors.

Mistaking units for milligrams or doubling up after a missed week can turn a routine weight loss injection into a medical emergency. Doctors share the red flags to watch for.

06/26/2026

Massachusetts use of harm reduction tools such are naloxone and safe spaces have led to a marked decrease in overdose deaths in the state.

Public health leaders say the state's harm-reduction approach to drug addiction is helping reduce deaths.

06/25/2026

Intentional diphenhydramine overdoses in adolescents are common cases reported to poison control centers across the nation. The drug can cause seizures and abnormal heart beat rhythms that can lead to death.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Three children have died in the past two months due to apparent over-the-counter overdoses amid the resurgence of a viral trend known as the “Benadryl Challenge.” Th…