http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml03/03092.html

For Immediate Release
March 10, 2003
Release # 03-092
CPSC Media Contacts: Kim Dulic, Ken Giles (301) 504-7052 and (301) 504-7058

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

WASHINGTON, D.C. - National Poison Prevention Week is alerting a new
generation of parents that each year there are approximately 30 deaths
and nearly 1 million incidents in which children under 5 years of age
are exposed to potential poisons. At a news conference today, the U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the American Association of
Poison Control Centers, and the Poison Prevention Week Council urged
parents to use products with child-resistant packaging; keep medicines
and chemicals locked up away from children; and when needed call the new
national toll-free number for poison control centers: 1-800-222-1222 if
a possible poisoning occurs.

"We know that child-resistant packaging saves lives, and we
encourage all adults to use it," said CPSC Chairman Hal Stratton. "But
this special packaging is child-resistant, not child-proof, so you also
need to keep medicines and chemicals locked up."

The goal of National Poison Prevention Week, this year held March
16-22, is to help reduce the annual toll of poisonings to children under
5 years old. The nation's poison control centers receive more than one
million calls each year about unintentional poisonings of children under
5 years of age from medicines and household chemicals.

Douglas Borys, a pharmacist, Director of the Central Texas Poison
Center and President of the American Association of Poison Control
Centers, emphasized the importance of the new toll-free number for
poison control centers. "In the first year of use, the new national
number for poison centers has received almost one million calls. If you
need poison help, call 1-800-222-1222 immediately."

Peter Mayberry, Chairman of the 37-member Poison Prevention Week
Council, said, "We believe that almost every child poisoning could be
prevented! Parents, grandparents, and other caregivers need to remember
that it can only take an instant for a poisoning to occur when children
are able to reach household chemicals and medicines."

The CPSC requires child-resistant packaging for 30 categories of
medicines and household chemicals. "For aspirin and oral prescription
medicine, special packaging has saved the lives of more than 900
children since the early 1970s," Stratton said.

Here are the basic poison prevention tips that every person should
check during National Poison Prevention Week:

1. Keep all chemicals and medicines locked up and out of sight.

2. Use child-resistant packaging properly by closing the container
securely after each use or choosing child-resistant blister cards, which
do not need to be re-secured.

3. Call 800-222-1222 immediately in case of poisoning. Keep on hand a
bottle of ipecac syrup but use it only if the poison center instructs
you to induce vomiting.

4. When products are in use, never let young children out of your sight,
even if you must take them along when answering the phone or doorbell.

5. Keep items in original containers.

6. Leave the original labels on all products, and read the label before
using.

7. Do not put decorative lamps and candles that contain lamp oil where
children can reach them. Lamp oil can be very toxic if ingested by young
children.

8. Always leave the light on when giving or taking medicine. Check the
dosage every time.

9. Avoid taking medicine in front of children. Refer to medicine as
"medicine," not "candy."

10. Clean out the medicine cabinet periodically and safely dispose of
unneeded and outdated medicines.

To get a free packet of poison prevention publications, write to
"Poison Prevention Packet," CPSC, Washington, DC 20207, or visit
www.poisonprevention.org.

By Annie2 on Monday, March 10, 2003 - 06:29 pm:

Thanks Trina for the information. I always keep Ipecac on hand, also, to induce vomiting , if that were to be the case.