Poison Information Centers (GIZ) in Rhineland-Pfalz, Hesse and Saarland are struggling with a sharp increase in the number of advice calls over the years. The increase is mainly due to calls from individuals or ordinary people, GIZ director Andreas Stürer said at a specialist conference to mark the agency’s 60th anniversary in Mainz.
In 2024, the center logged about 54,000 calls. Of these, around 30 percent go to hospitals or emergency services – that is, medical professionals. The majority of calls come from the general public, either from parents concerned about their children ingesting cleaning products or after cases of mold poisoning.
GIZ at Mainz University Medical Center is one of seven poison information centers in Germany. It provides round-the-clock advice in cases of actual or possible poisoning – whether in a private setting, at work or in a clinic.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:251121-930-321290/1
