Fifty years of paracetamol (acetaminophen) poisoning: the development of risk assessment and treatment 1973–2023 with particular focus on contributions published from Edinburgh and Denver

Introduction Fifty years ago, basic scientific studies and the availability of assay methods made the assessment of risk in paracetamol (acetaminophen) poisoning possible. The use of the antidote acetylcysteine linked to new methods of risk assessment transformed the treatment of this poisoning. This review will describe the way in which risk assessment and treatments have developed over the last 50 years and highlight the remaining areas of uncertainty.