A poison control center is the place to call if your child accidentally swallows something dangerous, like paint or a detergent pod.
But the Rocky Mountain Poison Center based in Denver also tracks the things that poison Coloradans. It monitors prescription drug misuse, tracks new substances Coloradans might ingest and helps hospitals treat venomous snake bites.
Dr. Richard Dart has led the center, which serves Colorado and three other western states, since 1992. In that time, he's seen a lot of changes, from how the center handles phone calls to how it trains the next generation of toxicologists.
Dart recently announced he’s retiring. Ahead of that, he joined Erin O’Toole to share more about how the things that sicken or kill Coloradans have changed in recent decades – and what drew him to this unusual line of work.
If you enjoyed this conversation, check out our recent interview with Stephen Mackessy, a researcher at the University of Northern Colorado who’s part of an international team developing more effective, less costly antivenom to treat venomous snake bites.
