Written by this site from official U.S. sources

Call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 right away if someone swallowed, breathed in or touched something poisonous

Top value
Evidence A
Buys life
Free
Takes minutes
No willpower

In plain words

Call 1-800-222-1222 as soon as you think someone has been poisoned. Don't wait for symptoms. The call is free and confidential, it's answered 24/7 by a poison expert at the center that serves your area, and interpreters are available. If the person is not breathing, call 911 instead. Often you get what you need over the phone and don't have to go to the hospital.

Cost: Free. Save the number in your phone now so you don't have to search for it later.
What you get: HRSA: "The toll-free Poison Help line is 1-800-222-1222." It reaches "specially trained poison experts at a poison center that serves your area" and "provides free and confidential help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Interpretation services are available in 161 languages." First steps: "If the person is not breathing, call 911." If they breathed in poison, get them to fresh air right away. If poison is on the skin, take off any clothing it touched and rinse the skin with running water for 15 to 20 minutes. If it's in the eyes, rinse with running water for 15 to 20 minutes. Do not use activated charcoal. "If medicine has been swallowed, do not give anything by mouth until you have talked to a Poison Help expert." Have the product container with you, and be ready to tell the expert: the person's age and weight, known health conditions, the product, how it got in or on the body, how long ago, what first aid has been given, whether the person has vomited, and your exact location.
Notes: Available in all 50 states. HRSA says "People usually get the help they need over the phone and do not have to go to a doctor or the hospital." You can also call with a question when it isn't an emergency. Poisoning isn't only a child problem: HRSA notes that most poisoning deaths happen in adults.
Evidence grade: A: Specific numbers from meta-analyses, large cohorts or randomized trials; for law and policy, the statute or official text.
Sources: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Poison Help: What You Can Do. https://poisonhelp.hrsa.gov/what-you-can-do
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Calling Poison Help (FAQ). https://poisonhelp.hrsa.gov/faq/calling-poison-help
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). First Steps in a Poisoning Emergency (FAQ). https://poisonhelp.hrsa.gov/faq/first-steps-poisoning-emergency

Sources checked 2026-10-12

Replaces in the original

If someone swallows cleaner, pesticide or medicine, don't make them vomit; take the bottle and go for care at once. If it splashes into the eyes or on the skin, rinse with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes

Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you.