Annual Report 2021
Minnesota Regional Poison Center 2021 Annual Report
Leadership and Education Team
Director: Samantha Lee, PharmD, DABAT
Medical Director: Jon Cole, MD, FACEP, FACMT, FAACT
Associate Medical Directors: Benjamin Orozco, MD; Travis Olives, MD, MPH; Annie Arens, MD, ABMS
Clinical Supervisor: Stacey Bangh, PharmD, DABAT
Educators: Mandy Slag, RN, MPH; Kirk Hughes, RN, EMT, CSPI; Lauren Prnjat, MPH
About the Poison Center
- 1-800-222-1222, available 24/7, including all holidays
- Calls are free of charge
- Minnesota Relay and interpretive services available
- Staffed by specially trained pharmacists nationally certified as Specialists in Poison Information
- For more information, visit our website:
www.mnpoison.org - Take our free online poison prevention training program at
training.mnpoison.org,
or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or X @MNpoisoncenter
2021 Key Facts and Stats
- Provided immediate help to 44,319 callers
- Poison specialists assisted an average of 121 people each day
- 28% of patient cases involved health care providers seeking treatment recommendations
- 91% of exposures occurring in a residential setting were safely managed at home with Poison Center assistance
- 36% of cases involved a child under the age of 6 years
- 87% of cases transferred from nurse lines were managed at home
- 81% of callers would have sought emergency medical attention if the Poison Center was not available
- 64% of exposures involved prescription and/or over-the-counter medications
Age of Patients
Poisonings affect individuals of all ages, from babies to seniors.
Approximately 38% of exposure cases involved children under the age of 6 years.
More serious outcomes were typically seen in teenagers and adults due to a larger number of intentional exposures occurring in these groups.
- <2 years old: 6,529
- 2-5 years old: 8,761
- 6-12 years old: 2,416
- 13-19 years old: 4,601
- >20 years old: 19,407
Top 5 Substances Involved in Poisoning
Non-Drug
- Household Cleaners
- Cosmetics, Personal Care Items
- Alcohols
- Foreign Bodies, Toys, Silica Gel Packets
- Plants
Drug
- Analgesics
- Antidepressants
- Sedatives/Hypnotics, Antipsychotics
- Cardiovascular Drugs
- Stimulants and Street Drugs
Reason for Exposure
Individuals who contact the Poison Center have many different reasons for calling.
Unintentional exposures can include accidents, mistakes when using products, food poisoning, or errors with medicine. Intentional exposures can be due to abuse, misuse, or suicide attempts.
Adverse reactions can happen with drugs or other substances. Other reasons are less common, but can include tampering or contamination.
- Unintentional: 29,420
- Intentional: 10,618
- Adverse Reaction: 1,162
- Other: 733
Caller Site
Approximately half of the exposure calls to the Minnesota Regional Poison Center came from residential settings and over a quarter came from health care facilities, such as hospitals, clinics, or emergency medical services providers. Other common call sites included workplaces and schools.
- Residence: 25,111
- Health Care Facility: 11,590
- Other: 4,204
- Workplace: 822
- School: 132
Management Site
In 2021, 91% of residential cases were able to be safely managed at home.
For cases originating from healthcare facilities, the Poison Center was able to assist providers seeking patient treatment recommendations. By keeping patients at home and reducing average hospital stays with treatment advice, the Poison Center is able to help save both time and money.
- Non-Health Care Facility: 26,187
- Health Care Facility: 11,590
- Other/Unknown: 4,057
Medical Outcomes
Overall, 83% of Poison Center cases had outcomes with little or no effect being seen in the patient. Prompt attention to poison exposures helps to reduce the likelihood of severe toxicity, preventing poor outcomes.
- Non-Toxic Exposure: 62%
- Minor Effect: 20%
- Moderate Effect: 9%
- Unrelated Effect: 4%
- Major Effect: 3%
- Death: 0.2%
- Lost to Follow-Up, Potentially Toxic: 2%
*Percentages do not add up to 100 due to rounding.
Poison Education
Public Education
Community education efforts focus on poison prevention and increasing awareness of the Poison Center’s services among people of all ages.
In 2022, nearly 10,000 Minnesotans were educated through 40 outreach events attended by the Minnesota Regional Poison Center and its partners.
Professional Education
The Poison Center provides vital education for medical professionals and those in training.
In 2021, nearly 7,000 Minnesotans were educated by 38 outreach events. Die to the cancellation of many events in 2021, the Minnesota Poison Control System used social media to share safety information.
In 2021, there were 43 education events provided for healthcare professionals across the state. The Poison Center staff conducted 218 advanced toxicological training opportunities for fellows, students, medical residents, other staff members, and interested non-staff health care professionals. Additionally, 48 medical residents, fellows, students, and pharmacists received on-site toxicology training.
The Minnesota Regional Poison Center partners with Regions Hospital to facilitate a Medical Toxicology Fellowship program.
Learn More
Complete our free online poison prevention training program. It is available at training.mnpoison.org and helps teach about poison safety and using the Poison Center as a free resource.
Visit our website at mnpoison.org for more poison prevention information and to order materials free of charge.
Follow Us on Social Media
The Minnesota Regional Poison Center used social media as a way to share information.
- Twitter: @MNpoisoncenter
- Facebook: @MNpoisoncenter
Two Ways to Get Help
1-800-222-1222 or webPOISONCONTROL®
Anyone who has a poison-related question or suspects a poisoning can always get immediate help from a poison expert by calling 1-800-222-1222.
Free help is also available 24/7 online by going to www.webpoisoncontrol.org.
Based on the information provided about a poison exposure, users are given a case-specific recommendation that helps them decide what to do when substances are swallowed, splashed in the eye or on the skin,
inhaled, or injected.
A total of 2,955 Minnesotans received help online by using the webPOISONCONTROL® tool or app in 2024. This unduplicated number was in addition to the 44,319 phone cases that were managed.
A PDF version of the information above is also available:
Minnesota Regional Poison Center 2021 Annual Report (PDF)
Need help accessing these materials?
Some resources on this page are provided as PDF documents. If you need these materials in an alternative or accessible format, please call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 or contact us—we will provide assistance.