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Ontario Poison Centre
National Poison Prevention Week - March 19-25, 2023
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National Poison Prevention Week - March 19-25, 2023

Posted on March 20, 2023

National Poison Prevention Week: when poison happens, poison centres are here for you!
March 19-25, 2023

In recognition of National Poison Prevention Week, Ontario Poison Centre would like to raise awareness about when poison happens, poison centres are here for you.

In recognition of the upcoming National Poison Prevention Week (March 19-25, 2023), the Poison Centre* would like to raise awareness about over-the-counter (OTC) analgesics (examples include acetaminophen & ibuprofen) which have consistently been one of our top exposures, comprising thousands of cases that Poison Centre handles each year. We are focusing on infants/children in the 0-5yr age category of unintentional poisonings from these OTCs. This is especially topical given the rampant cold/flu season we’ve been experiencing, as well as the recent shortage of infant/children’s acetaminophen and ibuprofen products we experienced.

Throughout the month of March, we will also be distributing Ontario Poison Centre free fridge magnets with our phone number. Shopper’s Drug Marts stores, and many Health Centres in Ontario have partnered with us to help distribute them. These are great to have in a visible place in your home in case of emergency.

If you would like to some magnets for your organization to distribute, please contact us via email  Poison.Information@sickkids.ca

Follow us for Poison Prevention information and local participation in Ontario during National Poison Prevention Week.

  • Twitter (@ON_Poison),
  • Facebook (Ontario Poison Centre)
  • Instagram (ontariopoisoncentre)

Stay up to date with us during National Poison Prevention Week by looking for hashtags:

#RethinkPoisons (Canada)
#NPPW2023 (North America)

Check out the Ontario Poison Centre website (ontariopoisoncentre.ca) for great resources to help families stay safe:

Common Poisons Section

  • Browse through a searchable list of household products to learn more about their poison risk, and what to do if someone has been exposed.
  • Learn about the top 10 most common household exposures in 2022, separated by age group.
  • Check out the poison storage checklist, made by our friends at Parachute (Canada national charity dedicated to injury prevention).

For Families Section

  • Learn about poison prevention strategies you can use in your home.
  • Visit our cannabis hub to learn about why cannabis is more dangerous for children than for adults, and what you can do to prevent an unintentional poisoning from occurring.

Additional Resources

Remember: If an unintentional poisoning occurs, contact your local poison centre:

Ontario: 1-800-268-9017/Manitoba: 1-855-7764766/Nunavut: 1-800-268-9017

For a full list of Canadian Poison Centre Numbers: Canadian Association for Poison Centres and Clinical Toxicology

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