Poisoning is a far more serious health problem in the U.S. than has generally been recognized. It is estimated that more than 4 million poisoning episodes occur annually, with approximately 300,000 cases leading to hospitalization. The field of poison prevention provides some of the most celebrated examples of successful public health interventions, yet surprisingly the current poison control "system" is little more than a loose network of poison control centers, poorly integrated into the larger spheres of public health. To increase their effectiveness, efforts to reduce poisoning need to be linked to a national agenda for public health promotion and injury prevention. Forging a Poison Prevention and Control System recommends a future poison control system with a strong public health infrastructure, a national system of regional poison control centers, federal funding to support core poison control activities, and a national poison information system to track major poisoning epidemics and possible acts of bioterrorism. This framework provides a complete "system" that could offer the best poison prevention and patient care services to meet the needs of the nation in the 21st century.

History of Modern Clinical Toxicology describes the extraordinary advances in the practice of clinical toxicology within the past 70 years and brings together stories of the people – the champions of clinical toxicology - who contributed to these advances, discovered new therapies and antidotes, and made change happen. This book lays out the poison control system they built and the fascinating story of how they created a new and evolving medical specialty. With the participation of renowned international experts as authors, the book showcases the development of poison control centers around the world and the growth of the professional societies that represent and support them today. This book also tells the stories of the modern-day toxic disasters and recent toxic exposures that gained worldwide attention and notoriety. It outlines the public health responses to such calamities which have led to improvements in our understanding of the science and changes in public health policies and regulations to forestall future such events. Finally, the book covers key policies and agencies affecting poison control centers, addresses the challenges facing clinical toxicologists of today, and predicts advances and future innovations in the field. History of Modern Clinical Toxicology is a unique resource that provides the historical and international perspective that will help students, practitioners, scientists, and health policy makers put current issues and methods in perspective. It will help them understand how infrastructure and processes in clinical toxicology have evolved and why poison control systems are configured as they are. - Offers descriptions of the key regulatory advances affecting clinical toxicology - Provides synopses of modern-day poisoning disasters - Outlines the development of modern antidotes and future directions in clinical toxicology - Describes the origins and development of the U.S. poison control system - Includes the origins and features of professional clinical toxicology societies from around the world - Includes descriptions of the history of clinical toxicology and poison control in more than 35 countries