"With 41,261 consultations, poison counselling was used 1.7% more frequently than in the previous year. As is the case every year, a good 40% of enquiries related to children of pre-school age, which typically involve accidents. For adolescents (around 5% of all calls), on the other hand, the focus is on intentional poisoning, especially suicide attempts and, to a lesser extent, substance abuse," writes Tox Info Suisse in a press release. Radio SRF has also reported on this. (4:29)

The poisoning counselling statistics are also consistent with statements by experts. The German veterinary surgeon and microbiologist Andreas Hensel, for example, showed in a remarkable interview with the Berlin Tagesspiegel how misguided people's perception of the risks associated with pesticides is. Hensel has been the first president of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment in Berlin, which analyses the safety of chemicals, since 2003. A particular focus is on consumer protection. Hensel recently coined the phrase in the FAZ: "Most people don't die from things they are worried about."

The statistics from Tox Info Suisse contrast with many media reports on the subject of crop protection, where there are constant warnings about poison in food. Hensel also told the FAZ: "In Germany, the fear of so-called chemicals in food is particularly high. Yet our food is safer than ever before. In our everyday lives, we constantly come into contact with potentially dangerous situations or substances. Despite this, there is not necessarily a risk to our health. There is no evidence in Germany that anyone has been poisoned by food containing crop protection residues. This is shown by the evaluations of the German poison information centres. Nevertheless, the scaremongering narrative of toxic crop protection residues has been used regularly for decades."