In the News

As reported by the Boston Globe, August 12, 2007.

Connecticut Poison Center Has Been Saving Lives for 50 Years

By Dustin Racioppi, Norwich Bulletin

NORWICH, Conn. -- About 40 years ago, Kathie Therrien's nephew found a vial of perfume behind a bookcase in his Putnam home.

Naturally curious, he drank the sweet-scented mixture. The incident caused his parents some hours of anxiety in the hospital as the boy had his stomach pumped.

"This was before poison control came in," Therrien said. "And he never did that again."

Four decades ago, there wasn't much information about poisoning. But there was one place to call -- The Connecticut Poison Control Center at the University of Connecticut. It was the first state-mandated poison control center and recently celebrated its 50th year serving communities in Connecticut, bordering states and even other countries.

"It's a lot easier now because there is a poison control center and kids get that information through D.A.R.E. and Cub Scouts," Therrien said. "I'm glad that it's available."

Director Bud Sangali said the poison control center started in the 1950s, but didn't expand its role until the 1980s, when poison control awareness was coming to the forefront as people became concerned about chemicals in the workplace and in the environment.

Today, the center fields more than 100 calls a day.

"People call in for all types of prevention information. There's a whole list of reasons why people call us," Sangali said.

Medical professionals as well as ordinary citizens call the center. Greg Allard, vice president of American Ambulance Service in Norwich, said his paramedics contact the center when there are doubts about the kind of medical services to provide. Allard said the feedback from the poison center has been positive.

"It's been very beneficial to those people that have called," he said. "But it's not a requirement. It's a personal decision."

In fiscal year 2006, The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich handled 520 poisonings, ranging from serious chemical contacts to taking too much of a medication, hospital spokesman Shawn Mawhiney said.

Amy Hanoian-Fontana is the poison center's community education specialist. It's her job to educate the public.

Recently, the center held a health fair in Danielson, and in the last few months has been researching places to advertise for the center.

"We really want people to know about the poison center and its free service," she said. "A lot of people think the poison control center is for kids, only it's not. Adults tend to make bigger mistakes."

The public also thinks poison control is limited to incidents of accidental ingestion or contact with a dangerous product. In the past half-century, however, the center's duties have grown to include illegal substances, suicide attempts and, most recently, terrorism readiness.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, Sangali said the UConn center has been on the front line of being an early warning system of suspected terrorist activity.

"It's a natural extension of what we do anyway," he said. "The public calls in and we give advice and we're at the forefront."

The center is manned around the clock with certified toxicologists, pharmacists, physicians and other medical professionals.

Sangali said he hopes the future will be business as usual, but also wants to strive toward limiting incidents by expanding the public's awareness about poison control.

He said in a perfect world there would be no poison control center, and part of his job is to work toward fewer poison-related incidents by educating the public.

"We kind of talk like we put ourselves out of business," Sangali said.