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Notice to Readers: National Poison Prevention Week --- March 16--22, 2008

This year's National Poison Prevention Week will be observed March 16--22. This observance is organized each year by the National Poison Prevention Week Council, a coalition of national organizations working to highlight the dangers of poisoning and its prevention.

During 1999--2005, unintentional poisoning death rates increased by 80%, largely because of increases in recreational drug overdoses among adults (1). In addition, U.S. poison-control centers reported an estimated 2.3 million exposures to poisonous substances during 2006 (2). Approximately 93% of these exposures occurred at a residence, and nearly half occurred in children aged <6 years (2). Poisonous agents most often implicated in pediatric exposures include cosmetics, personal-care products, cleaning substances, analgesics, cough and cold preparations, and other products usually found in the home.

Resources for consumer education about poisoning and its prevention are available from CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/poisoning.htm and from the National Poison Prevention Week Council at http://www.poisonprevention.org. In addition, Consumer Product Safety Commission publications are available to educate consumers about identifying and correcting situations in the home that could lead to poisoning. These resources are available at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/pois_prv.html. Information about carbon monoxide poisoning is available from CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/co/basics.htm#guideline.

Additional information about National Poison Prevention Week is available from CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/poisonweek.htm. The national toll-free telephone number for poison-control centers is 1-800-222-1222.

References

  1. CDC. Unintentional poisoning deaths---United States, 1999--2004. MMWR 2007;56:93--6.
  2. Bronstein AC, Spyker DA, Cantilena LR, Green G, Rumack BH, Heard SE. 2006 annual report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poison Data System (NPDS). Clinical Toxicology 2007;45:815--917.

Use of trade names and commercial sources is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.


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Date last reviewed: 3/13/2008

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