CEARCH (Center for Education, Awareness and Research on Chemicals and Health) is a nongovernmental organization, registered under The Societies Act. The organization is the brainchild of Dr. Aruna Dewan, a medical toxicologist, who established the First Poison Information Center in Gujarat at the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH), Ahmedabad.
Except for forensic medicine, toxicology remains a neglected area in the medical curriculum. This is despite the fact that every medical facility, be it a primary health center or the most well-equipped tertiary care hospital, gets to see poisoning cases on a daily basis. The biggest reminder is the Bhopal Gas Tragedy where thousands died in December 1984 due to the release of methyl isocyanate from the Union Carbide plant. Mass poisonings are frequently reported from the consumption of illicit liquor.
Our services are also provided to different factories where work-related hazards are common.