Collecting data, saving lives: Exchange on the German Poisoning Register Federal and German federal states ("Laender") meet in Berlin on the planned database
What it's about:
On 11 June 2025, a federal-state meeting on the German Poisoning Register took place at the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment). The German Poisoning Register (DVR) comprises a central database in which the poisoning reports from the poison centres of the German federal states ("Laender"), the professional associations and the medical communications are to flow together. The aim is to obtain an overview of poisoning incidents in Germany for the first time. The register will be launched at the beginning of 2026. "The comprehensive data evaluations should help to protect against cases of poisoning and, in the best case, save lives," says Dr Yuri Bruinen de Bruin, Head of the Poisoning Register at the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment. The establishment of a central poisoning register at the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment was laid down in the Fourth Act Amending the German Chemicals Act (BGBl. 2023 I No. 313).
The poison centres in Germany provide advice on hundreds of poisonings and suspected cases every day. This work is currently only documented locally, meaning that there is currently no overview of poisoning incidents in Germany. However, precise knowledge of cases of poisoning is important in order to be able to assess the health risks of different substances and product groups and to recognise new trends. The data collected can be used, for example, to identify patterns regarding the species and frequency of certain poisonings. This also supports poisoning counselling and measures to reduce poisoning with certain substances and products. In addition, consumers can be specifically informed about health risks and poisoning cases can be replaced. Examples of this include frequent poisoning accidents in children caused by ingestion of cleaning agents or poisonous plants. In future, the data should also contribute to the early detection of risks and thus strengthen consumer protection.
The German federal states ("Land") meeting
A joint welcome address from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) and the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment was followed by a stakeholder workshop on the DVR. The implementation of the poisoning register and a prototype of the future database were presented. The poison centres provided insights into their everyday work and their socio-economic role in the healthcare system. Representatives of the Federal Ministry, the poison centres and the responsible state ministries as well as the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment were also present.
About the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) is a scientifically independent institution within the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH) in Germany. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment advises the Federal Government and the States (‘Laender’) on questions of food, chemicals and product safety. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment conducts independent research on topics that are closely linked to its assessment tasks.