National Poison Prevention Week Warns New Parents to Lock Up Medicines and Household Chemicals

Press Release # 03-092

Transcript


Poison control center call taker answers phone, "Poison Center, can I help you?"

Voice-over "More than one million calls are placed to poison control centers across the country due to unintentional poisonings in the home."

Woman speaking in her home with her child playing, "I actually at the time was upstairs cooking breakfast on Christmas Day and my 11-year-old daughter ran upstairs to tell me that my son had ingested bubbles. I called the poison control center and they were extremely helpful and knowledgeable. They let me know that this particular bubbles was made of soap and detergent and were not absorbed by the blood. Therefore, would not create any kind of poisoning in the blood. I guess the most important thing was the fact that he was going to be okay. That was what a mom needed to hear, that's what I needed to hear in that particular situation."

Child playing. Voice-over "The good news, poisoning can be prevented if proper precautions are taken."

CPSC Chairman Stratton speaks, "In the early 1960's there were 450 deaths per year of children from poisoning. We've reduced that number to about 30 deaths per year now. This has been due to child-resistant packaging and also the poison control centers."

Woman gets up to answer telephone while child in high chair grabs a bottle of medicine. Voice-over, "Child resistant packaging is only the first step. Because children act fast, even parents who have taken the best precautions can be caught off guard."

Man speaking at podium, "The best way to prevent accidental poisonings is to identify those household substances that could harm a small child and make certain that those products are kept locked and out of kid's reach"

Woman places harmful household substances in a high cupboard out child's reach. Voice-over, "Locking up chemicals and medications, using child-resistant packaging. Those precautions save children's lives. But should you have to make the call, Poison Control Centers nationwide are standing by because children are so fast and are so curious that even the most careful poison prevention efforts may fail. In those cases, there's no substitute for the prompt help of your local poison center."

Child playing. Voice-over, "The poison prevention message is not a new one, but its an important one which needs to be addressed each year for new parents, grandparents, and caregivers who haven't heard before."

End.