Australian poisons hotlines received a record almost 1,500 calls about children ingesting melatonin last year, in a dramatic spike that has prompted experts to warn it is "purely luck" no one has died.
One popular online retailer recently suspended sales of melatonin to Australia, after reports of a jump in calls to the WA Poisons Information Centre about children taking melatonin.
The ABC can now reveal the true extent of the increase after analysing data from across the country.
The figures showed there were 1,478 calls nationally in 2024 relating to melatonin exposure for children aged 14 and under, more than double the number of calls made in 2019.
The reason for the calls varied, but included children accidentally taking melatonin that was not meant for them, incorrect dosages,