Plant poisoning: Increasing relevance, a problem of public health and education. North-Western Italy, Piedmont region

Indoor and outdoor plants are responsible for a rising number of accidental poisonings. Plant ingestions are among the top five causes of accidental poisonings in children younger than 5 years. Pets are also frequent victims of plant poisonings. Young children and pets will often chew and eat anything within reach, no matter how it tastes or if it is bitter. Eating a small amount of a plant may not always be a problem, but large or repeated doses may be extremely harmful. There is no easy test for knowing poisonous plants from those that are safe. Don't assume a plant is safe for humans just because animals or birds eat it without harm, and heating and cooking do not necessarily destroy the toxin in a mushroom or a plant. Regarding plant exposures and/or poisonings in Piedmont region, on average fifty cases per year were monitored by the Milan Poison Control Center at the Niguarda Hospital, Italy. This study was divided into provinces, ages and sex, place of exposures (home, school, at work); in addition some cases of group intoxication were monitored. Many plants cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Some plants have substances that are very irritating to the tongue, mouth and skin. The expositions mainly regard houseplants, garden or vegetable-garden plants, but the most severe and dangerous expositions are due to wild plants.