Chemical products are mostly multi-component mixtures. They contain components that may pose health risks for consumers, especially if they are not used as intended.

Although these health risks can be identified in part by the user via the product’s hazard labelling, in the event of a poisoning or a suspected poisoning, detailed knowledge of the product composition must be available to ensure the best medical advice and treatment.

Notification Requirements for Companies and Physicians

Notification to the BfR is mandatory for

• Product (mixtures) classified as hazardous
• Detergent and cleaning agents
• Cases of poisoning
• Cases of suspected poisoning

The pages mentioned contain detailed information on the notification procedure.

Poisoning Risks

The BfR provides information on recently identified health risks and on other current topics via press releases and other means of communication.

The BfR "Poisoning Accidents in Children" App

For the prevention of accidents, the BfR provides various booklets as well as the BfR "Poisoning Accidents in Children" app, currently only available in German. The app was developed to provide information about poisoning accidents in children and how they can be prevented. It is able to make direct calls to a poisons centre in the event of an emergency.

Booklets

A lot of information is also available from the following booklets:

• Poisoning Accidents in Children (PDF-Datei, 1,33 MB)
• Risk Fungi (PDF-Datei, 4,94 MB)
• Risk Plant (PDF-Datei, 2,48 MB)

You can find these, as well as other booklets, including different language versions, at the bottom of the page under the heading "Booklets".

The booklets are free of charge. To order, please click on our booklet page.

List of Poisonous Plants

A list of plants that are not recommended to be planted in public spaces used by children, e. g., playgrounds, kindergartens and outdoor pools, was published in the Federal Gazette: List of Poisonous Plant Species, revised and updated in 2021. The list is available here.