Poison Prevention Week 2005

Remarks by
Rose Ann Soloway, RN MSEd, DABAT
Chairman
Poison Prevention Week Council

Remarks by
Hal Stratton, Chairman
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Remarks by
Douglas Borys, President
American Association of Poison Control Centers
And
Director, Central Texas Poison Center
Scott and White Memorial Hospital
Temple , TX

List of Poison Prevention Week Council members that
contributed funds to National Poison Prevention Week 2005

News Coverage

2005 Press Release

2005 Report on National Poison Prevention Week (PDF format)

Remarks by
Rose Ann Soloway, RN MSEd, DABAT
Chairman
Poison Prevention Week Council

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I am Rose Ann Soloway , chair the Poison Prevention Week Council. On behalf of the Poison Prevention Week Council, I welcome you to this morning’s press conference.

Every day in the United States , poison centers answer more than 6,500 emergency calls. More than half of those calls are about children under the age of six – and that’s why we’re here today. Poison prevention is urgently needed to protect children in homes around the country. The Poison Prevention Week Council, a consortium of nearly forty national organizations, is using this opportunity to teach or remind us how to do that.

The challenges are significant. Every day, parents, grandparents, and caregivers are faced with children who develop new skills, seemingly overnight. We celebrate when children begin to crawl, walk, and climb. But those same developmental milestones coincide with an insatiable curiosity to explore the world – and one way that children explore the world is by picking things up and putting them into their mouths. Pills and berries look like candy, liquid cleaning products and automotive fluids look like soft drinks, and wild mushrooms just look like dinner.

Preventing poisoning is a multi-step process, as is the treatment of poisonings which do occur. Product stewardship, government regulations, the immediate availability of poison centers, and expert medical care all play a role. But the most important role is played by adults who spend time with children. There is no substitute for attentive adults who provide safe environments in which children can learn and explore, then supervise those children carefully as they do so.

The Poison Prevention Week Council offers tips for preventing poisoning in children:

• Be sure to store products in their original containers.
• Lock medicines, household products, lawn and garden chemicals, and other potential poisons out of sight and reach of children.
• For a possible poisoning, call your local poison center immediately. From anywhere in the country, call 1-800-222-1222 to be automatically connected to the experts at your local poison center.

And now, Chairman Stratton will describe the essential role of child-resistant packaging in saving children’s lives.

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Remarks by
Hal Stratton, Chairman
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Thank you for joining us today for our poison prevention news conference. On behalf of my fellow Commissioners, the Honorable Mary Gall and the Honorable Thomas Moore, welcome to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. I would also like to thank Rose Ann Soloway, Chairwoman of National Poison Prevention Week Council and Mr. Douglas Borys, the President of the American Association of Poison Centers who are with us today.

Joining us today is 10-year-old, Kelsey Proctor. Kelsey is a sixth-grade student at Hanna Public School , in Hanna , Oklahoma . Last spring, Kelsey’s class submitted student drawings to the Oklahoma Poison Center for entry into the annual poison prevention poster contest. Kelsey’s poster, with its unique style, and distinct and accurate message, won top prize as the official 2004 Poison Prevention Poster. Congratulations Kelsey.

I am particularly proud of Kelsey not only because of her interest in poison prevention, but because I share her roots in Oklahoma . Here today with Kelsey, are her parents, Robin and Darrell Proctor. I’m sure you are even more proud of her than I am. Kelsey, why don’t you come on up here so that we can present you with your award.

Kelsey, the folks from the Poison Control Centers and the Poison Prevention Week Council have given me the honor of presenting you with this award on their behalf. As a fellow Oklahoman and fellow Cherokee, I know everyone here agrees with me when they say congratulations and good luck. You are very talented young lady with a bright future.

As the Chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the father of two small children, I am delighted to be here today to support national poison prevention week. While the number of accidental poisonings has been reduced through the vigilance of parents, common sense regulation and consumer education, we have not finished our work. On average, more than two children still die every month is this country due to accidental poisonings.

Children act quickly and so do poisons. This is why the poison prevention safety message is so important. The two most important things parents and caregivers can do to prevent accidental poisoning are: 1) always use child-resistant packaging, and 2) be sure to keep medicines and household chemicals locked up and out of a child’s reach.

Each year, we repeat this message to new parents, grandparents and caregivers in an effort to prevent the estimated 28 unintentional poisoning-related deaths to children under age 5. One of the most important safety measures in the history of CPSC is the development of child-resistant packaging. Since 1972, we have required child-resistant packaging for a total of 30 different substances.

Most recently, we required that hydrocarbons be in child-resistant packaging. Many hydrocarbons are familiar household products such as automotive additives and degreasers, and common cosmetics like baby oils and nail polish remover. When these oily-type liquids are swallowed and aspirated into the lungs, chemical pneumonia can develop and cause death. And sadly, just this past year, a 9-month-old boy died after swallowing lamp oil he found in his home. It is for reasons like this, parents and caregivers must remain vigilant in keeping medicines and household chemicals locked up and out of a child’s reach.

Child-resistant packaging for hydrocarbons and other medicines and household chemicals is designed to be hard to open for children under age 5. But remember child-resistant does not mean child-proof. Medicines and household chemicals should be kept in child-resistant packaging but also locked up away from a child’s reach. Child-resistant packaging, when used properly, is undoubtedly one of the most effective ways to save children’s lives. That’s why it is important to re-seal the packaging after each use. This special packaging is only effective when used properly.

Since the CPSC began requiring child resistant packaging for aspirin and prescription medicine, we estimate that more than 900 children’s lives have been saved. Poisoning deaths have declined from 450 in 1962 to about 28 deaths annually in recent years.

As part of our efforts to ensure the effectiveness of poison prevention packaging, CPSC will host a one-day seminar later this month to help manufacturers of products that could be hazardous to children better understand the Poison Prevention Packaging Act. The seminar will address CPSC regulations, the effectiveness of child-resistant packaging, packaging issues, and the regulation development process.

Through events like today’s poison prevention press conference and next week’s poison packaging seminar, we hope to educate both consumers and industry on how to protect America ’s children from accidental poisonings. Our efforts in this regard have been given a tremendous boost by our next speaker, Mr. Douglas Borys.

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Remarks by
Douglas Borys, President
American Association of Poison Control Centers
And
Director, Central Texas Poison Center
Scott and White Memorial Hospital
Temple , TX

Good morning. My name is Doug Borys. I am president of the American Association of Poison Control Centers and director of the Central Texas Poison Center .

When it comes to poisoning and young children, there is no substitute for prevention. But the reality is, children are curious and act fast. They climb, they put things into their mouths, and they can’t tell the difference between something that is safe and something that is not. And that’s why you need your local poison center.

You never need to guess or worry about what to do for a possible poisoning. When you call 1-800-222-1222, you will talk to local experts, pharmacists, nurses and physicians, who will guide you through what could be a frightening experience. This country’s sixty-two poison centers provided immediate treatment advice to more than 2.3 million emergency callers last year; managing 75 percent of those cases at home. Poison center experts provided information to more than 1.7 million people who wanted poison prevention information. In addition, poison center educators provided on-site programs and poison prevention materials in communities around the country.

Poison centers are best known for their skill in treating exposures to medicines and household products safely, and in a way that saves significant health care expenses. But their expertise is much broader, ranging from illegal drugs and inhalants to workplace chemicals, environmental toxins, and chemical warfare agents. In fact, every poison center in the country uploads data about poison exposures, symptoms, and treatments to the American Association of Poison Control Centers about every ten minutes. Those collective cases are reviewed in real-time for symptoms that might identify the wide spread exposure to a chemical release or similar event.

That makes continued funding of poison centers an urgent concern. Within the last several months, two poison centers closed for lack of funding and two others came within a few weeks of closing. Last minute efforts allowed poison center services to continue in those communities, but the funding crisis diminished the time and effort available to prevent and treat poisoning, detect unexpected poison-related hazards, and work within communities and with government agencies to plan and prepare for disasters.

The United States Congress has recognized the critical role that poison centers play in serving their communities, saving both lives and money. Congressional appropriations fund the nationwide toll-free number shared by all poison centers. Since it was launched in January 2002, three million U.S. residents have called 1-800-222-1222 for poison information and treatment advice. Congressional appropriations also fund the nationwide surveillance effort to provide an early warning about possible chemical releases. But for the majority of poison centers much needed funding for operations is still provided by local communities, state governments, and philanthropy. Secure funding must be stabilized because every dollar spent on a poison center saves seven dollars in health care expenses. We also rely heavily on the media to help get the word out about poison prevention, so I am extremely grateful for your presence today.

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• American Academy of Pediatrics
• American Association of Poison Control Centers
• American Public Health Association
• American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
• Closure Manufacturers Association
• Consumer Healthcare Products Association
• Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association
• Food Marketing Institute
• Healthcare Compliance Packaging Council
• National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation
• National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
• National Community Pharmacists Association
• National SAFE KIDS Campaign
• Soap and Detergent Association
• U.S. Department of Agriculture-Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Maternal and Child Health Bureau
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Thanks to a generous $5,000 donation from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation, the Council is able to extend the search for a family to speak at the news conference, nationwide.

The following corporations also made contributions to National Poison Prevention Week:

• The Clorox Company (to produce the annual report)
• Owens-Illinois and Owens-Brockway (to produce the poster)

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News Coverage

American Academy of Pediatrics featured National Poison Prevention Week in its March Media Mailing. The Media Mailing is a monthly electronic media mailing to reporters, editors, writers, and TV and radio producers that includes news releases, digests, and briefs based on upcoming studies and policy statements.

National Community Pharmacists Association participated in National Poison Prevention Week by hosting a poison awareness program at a Boys and Girls Club in Atlanta , Ga. Students from Mercer University talked with about 50 children, ages 6-9 years old about what a poison is and what to do in a poison emergency. The NCPA student chapter at Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical College of Virginia College of Pharmacy worked with their local poison control center and sent students to a day care center to discuss the dangers of poisonous substances.

American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) President Douglas J. Borys participated in the National Poison Prevention Week news conference in Bethesda , MD. The AAPCC provided its members with planning materials and information about the national observance. In addition, members were provided with information to facilitate localizing television stories using the national video news release. Many poison centers contributed poster designs to the national selection committee of the Poison Prevention Week Council. AAPCC’s Web site www.1-800-222-1222 info featured National Poison Prevention Week information along with other poison prevention and poison center awareness materials. Rose Ann Soloway of the American Association of Poison Control Centers is the Chairman of the Poison Prevention Week Council. S. Rutherfoord Rose, also from the American Association of Poison Control Centers, serves as Treasurer for the Poison Prevention Week Council.

ASTM D10.31 Subcommittee on Child Resistant Packaging’s Task Force on National Poison Prevention Week met on April 19th in Salt Lake City , Utah . Task Force Chair Lori Dixon outlined ASTM efforts to promote greater awareness of National Poison Prevention Week, and challenged all Task Force members to come up with ideas for further promotion of the 2005 designation.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission distributed a news release and conducted television, print and radio interviews in both English and Spanish. The Commission hosted the news conference for National Poison Prevention Week. A staff member from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission serves as “Secretary” of the Poison Prevention Week Council.

Poisoning Deaths to Children under 5 years old from 1972 through 2000

Source: National Center for Health Statistics mortality files.

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