Cuts may close Washington poison center hot line

SEATTLE — The Washington Poison Center says state budget cuts will force it to close the 24-hour hot line that people call when they worry someone has swallowed poison. The center in Seattle handled 100,000 calls last year, and 86 percent were resolved without callers leaving home. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer says without the hot line people would have to call doctors or rush to emergency rooms. The center is a private service that relies on state and federal funds. Gov. Chris Gregoire has proposed cutting its funding from $4 million to $2 million a year.