Guidelines for poison control

Overview

The International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) was established in 1980 as a collaborative programme of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Health Organization (WHO) in order to provide assessments of the risks to human health and the environment posed by chemicals, so that all countries throughout the world might develop their own chemical safety measures.

The IPCS provides guidance on the use of such assessments and seeks to strengthen the capacity of each country to prevent and treat the harmful effects of chemicals and to manage emergencies involving chemicals. In its different activities, the IPCS collaborates with various international organizations and professional bodies. Its work on prevention and treatment of poisoning is undertaken in collaboration with the World Federation of Associations of Clinical Toxicology Centres and Poison Control Centresl and its member associations. The aims of the European Commission (EC) in the field of poison control are similar to those of the IPCS and many activities are undertaken jointly by the two bodies. Poisoning by chemicals is a significant risk in all countries where substantial quantities and increasing numbers of chemicals are being used in the development process.

Some countries already have well established facilities for the prevention and control of poisoning, many wish to establish or strengthen such facilities, and others have not yet fully recognized the extent of the risk. The need for advice on poison control, particularly with a view to encouraging countries to establish poison information centres, was recognized at a joint meeting of the World Federation, the IPCS, and the EC, held at WHO headquarters, Geneva, from 6 to 9 October 1985. At this meeting it was recommended that guidelines be prepared on poison control and particularly on the role of poison information centres. It was also recommended inter alia that antidotes and other substances used in the treatment of poisoning should be evaluated, comparable information needed for diagnosis and treatment of poisoning collected and recorded in a standardized manner, toxicovigilance and poison prevention programmes developed, mechanisms for exchanging experience of dealing with major chemical accidents established, and specialized training in poison control encouraged.