Swiss poison hotline received more calls in 2023

Poisonous mushrooms were responsible for a small number of calls © Keystone / Christian Beutler

Last year the Tox Info Suisse Foundation provided a total of 41,261 individual consultations on suspected poisoning via the poisoning emergency number 145. This corresponds to an increase of 1.7% compared to 2022, the foundation announced on Monday.

Compared to 2022, slightly fewer consultations on poisoning with medication were carried out in Switzerland. Nevertheless, these still accounted for more than a third of emergency calls in 2023 (35.8%) and thus most suspected cases of poisoning. In the previous year, this figure was 36.7%, the foundation said.

In second place last year were poisonings with household products, which accounted for a further 22.9% of consultations. Consultations on all other possible causes of poisoning such as food, personal care products, mushrooms, poisonous animals or stimulants such as drugs and alcohol were all in the single-digit percentage range.

+ Good mushroom harvest results in poisoning boom

Around 40% of enquiries to the Tox Info Suisse Foundation related to children of pre-school age, typically in connection with accidents, according to the report. In turn, around 5% of all calls concerned adolescents, whereby, according to the foundation, the main focus was on intentional poisoning. This mainly involved suicide attempts and, to a lesser extent, the misuse of substances.

However, enquiries about suicide attempts had decreased overall, it added. According to the report, 7% fewer calls (308 fewer enquiries) were received about suicide attempts compared to 2022. However, Tox Info Suisse stated that the pre-pandemic level had not yet been reached.

Meanwhile, enquiries about iodine tablets were significantly more frequent in 2023 than in previous years. According to Tox Info Suisse, the number of calls for iodine tablets is increasing as part of the precautionary distribution to households within a 50-kilometre radius of nuclear power plants, which takes place every ten years.

In Switzerland the emergency number for poisoning is 145. Specially trained physicians will give advice 24/7 in cases of poisoning with, for example, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, other drugs, poisonous plants, mushrooms or venomous animals.

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