The Role of National Poison Control Center in Organisation and Management of Mass Ammonia Accident

Despite the frequent occurrence of incidents involving hazardous materials, organisation and management still pose some specific problems in chemical disasters. Most hospitals with emergency care are not fully prepared to handle contaminated or poisoned patients, which may have important impact on the outcome of poisoning. Following a hazardous chemical accident, providing early effective care to victims depends on the nature of the accident, the number of victims affected, the availability of medical care, the coordination of rescue teams and medical treatment. Poison Control Centres must have a crucial role in all phases of the disaster management.