Health security
The National
Poison Control Center (NPCC) -- whose aim is to speed up treatment in the
event of accidental poisoning and make it unnecessary to go to hospital
emergency rooms if there is no danger -- now receives most of its queries from
the public. In the past, it preferred to be consulted by physicians, but it
recognized the importance of being available round the clock to people --
mostly parents -- who fear their child has swallowed something dangerous.