National Poison Prevention Week: Child-Resistant Packaging and Poison Control Centers Save Lives
NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20207
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 1998
Release # 98-077
CPSC Consumer Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: Ken Giles, (301) 504-7052
National Poison Prevention Week: Child-Resistant Packaging and Poison Control Centers Save Lives
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
Chairman Ann Brown and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Assistant Administrator for Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic
Substances Dr. Lynn R. Goldman warned that pesticides -- like
other household chemicals and medicines -- can be poisonous if
young children swallow them. "Child-resistant packaging saves
lives," Brown said, "but this success story has not eliminated
the poisoning problem in America. Each year, approximately 50
children under age 6 die, and more than a million consumers call
poison control centers about child poisonings."
At today's annual National Poison Prevention Week news
conference, Dr. Goldman emphasized the importance of preventing
poisonings from pesticides. "In 1996, there were four deaths
from pesticide poisoning," noted Goldman, "and poison centers
received 100,000 calls about children exposed to pesticides.
Poisonings could be prevented if adults would re-secure the
child-resistant packaging and keep pesticides locked away from
young children." EPA and CPSC use the same standard for
child-resistant packaging required on pesticides, medicines, and
household chemicals.
National Poison Prevention Week will be observed on March
15-21, 1998. CPSC and EPA are members of the Poison Prevention
Week Council. This coalition of national organizations works to
stop accidental poisonings by distributing information and by
encouraging local poison control centers, pharmacies, public
health departments, and others to conduct poison prevention
programs in their communities to help prevent poisonings.
Dr. George Rodgers, President of the American Association of
Poison Control Centers, emphasized the life-saving advice
provided by the nation's poison control centers. "Poison control
centers save lives and health care costs. Every dollar spent on
a poison control center saves about $7 in medical expenses.
Without poison centers, victims would have to go to emergency
rooms. Without immediate intervention, some victims might die."
Another participant at the National Poison Prevention Week
news conference was 2-year-old Amy Spangenberg, from Centreville,
Va. She was poisoned when she swallowed some moth balls a
neighbor had scattered on the ground to repel animals. Through
quick action advised by a poison control center, the 2-year-old
girl recovered completely.
Consumers can also view a video clip about this press release (Transcript). It is about 21 megabytes long and the download time depends upon the speed of your Internet connection.