Episode 70: Poison Centre Data – Insights into Drug Trends and Toxicology Surveillance

This week on The Tox Lab, we’re taking a closer look at poison centre data and how it can be used to identify drug trends and support toxicovigilance efforts.

We begin by discussing a study analysing data from six European poison centres in the Netherlands, Freiburg, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. The paper examines reports involving the eleven most commonly encountered recreational drugs and highlights how patterns of drug use differ both over time and between countries.

We then turn to a study focusing on reports of novel psychoactive substances submitted to several European poison centres in 2021, exploring how these data can contribute to monitoring emerging substances and strengthening drug early warning systems.

Join us as we explore how poison centre data can provide valuable insights into drug use trends and play an important role in toxicology surveillance and public health.

Hope you enjoy!

Links to the papers we discussed:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15563650.2026.2628073

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15563650.2024.2430311

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