Questions About Pesticides and Poisons?

National Pesticide Information Center, Oregon State University, and
American Association of Poison Control Centers

Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222 National Pesticide Information 1-800-858-7378

Questions about pesticides and poisonings have a tendency to pop up suddenly and often with an urgent request for information.

There are two nationally known organizations available for consultation over pesticides and/or poisoning questions. The National Pesticide Information Center at Oregon State University is a national resource for pesticide questions, offering a toll-free telephone service from 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. PT seven days a week. The telephone number is 1-800-858-7378, website: npic.orst.edu, and their email address: npic@ace.orst.edu.

The NPIC is a good resource to use for inquiries such as:

Will chemicals in treated wood contaminate a vegetable garden?

What are the health effects if my dog ate a slug and snail bait?

Is pesticide spraying harmful to the ladybugs in my rose garden?

How long will it take a pesticide to break down in the soil?

Do you know where I can get general pesticide information?

The American Association of Poison Control Centers is a grouping of regional poison control centers, useful for reference if questions occur such as:

My child has just ingested some small unknown berries or seeds...

Could we pick and eat the mushrooms we've found in the pasture?

Will herbicide drift affect local bees that visit our garden?

In the State of Texas there are the following localized centers:

• South Texas Poison Control Center (University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio)

• Southeast Texas Poison Control Center, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston)

• North Texas Poison Center (Parkland Health & Hospital System, Dallas)

• Texas Panhandle Poison Control Center (Texas Tech University Health Science Center, Amarillo)

• West Texas Poison Center, (Thomson Hospital, El Paso)

All of the centers above may be reached through the telephone number for the American Association of Poison Control Centers - 1-800-222-1222, and may be reached 24 hours a day.

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