California Poison Control System: California's Poison Prevention Lifeline

Who We Are

The California Poison Control System (CPCS) is the designated and accredited Poison Center for the State of California. We provide poison information and consultations through our hotline, to the public, healthcare professionals, and 9-1-1 dispatchers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Our Mission

CPCS’ mission is to prevent an increase in non-fatal poisonings and poisoning deaths, in conjunction with saving Californians millions of dollars in unnecessary health care costs.

We serve all Californians through a single, toll free number, available 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. Services are available in over 200 languages through live translation services. CPCS is the largest single provider of poison control services in the United States. CPCS leads the state as the primary resource for poison education, prevention, and treatment for the general public and health care professionals.

Poisoning in California

"A poisoning can occur in virtually any setting, from almost any substance, and can happen by being swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin," says Rais Vohra, Medical Director for the Fresno/Madera Division of CPCS. "In fact, most people don’t realize that poisoning is the leading cause of injury-related deaths in the United States." Many people don’t realize that numerous items we come into daily contact with—from common medications, to household products, to certain plants, and virtually all insecticides and pesticides, to name just a few things—can actually be dangerous poisons. In large enough quantities, some harmless substances can be poisonous, while even small doses of other substances can be toxic.

In 2023, CPCS provided telephone guidance for 216,163 human poison exposure cases across California. The good news is, 72% of those calls were handled at the location where the exposure occurred—this means that 72% of those people who called the Poison Hotline avoided an unnecessary trip to the emergency room. For those callers who do need additional care, our poison experts safely guide them to the nearest medical facility, to receive treatment. If needed, our poison experts can call you back to make sure you are okay. 

Call the Poison Hotline at 1-800-222-1222 to receive:

• Free, expert, poison treatment advice and consultation for poison exposures—provided by highly trained health care professionals.
• Poison related help that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for callers anywhere in California.
• Interpretation services in over 200 languages. Call 1-800-222-1222 and state your preferred language to receive uninterrupted poison treatment services.

Additional CPCS Resources 

CPCS also provides a variety of free educational materials and tools for the California public. Visit our website at https://calpoison.org or go to our resources landing page at https://www.flow.page/calpoisonto view, order, or download our latest poison prevention materials.

CPCS is part of the University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy and is responsible to the California Emergency Medical Services Authority and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).