Poison Prevention Week

3/23/2016 (Permalink)

In 1961, the United States Congress designated the third week in March each year as National Poison Prevention Week, a week dedicated to raising awareness about poisoning in the U.S. and highlighting specific ways to prevent it.

This year’s National Poison Prevention Week will focus on two overarching themes: Children Act Fast, So Do Poisons and Poisonings Span a Lifetime. Additionally, daily themes will be observed during the week, including a day dedicated to recognizing the important role poison centers play in the communities they serve. And on Tuesday, March 17, Aapcc encourages the public to celebrate the value of America’s poison control system.

                According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), poisoning remains the leading cause of injury death in the United States. “In 2014, America’s poison control centers managed 2.9 million calls, about 2.2 million of which were about people coming into contact with dangerous or potentially dangerous substances,” said Jay L. Schauben, PharmD, DABAT, FAACT, Director of the Florida/USVI Poison Information Center in Jacksonville, and current AAPCC President. “National Poison Prevention Week allows poison centers to emphasize poison prevention education to help prevent poisoning accidents before they occur and to raise awareness that health care professionals are available around the clock for assistance in our nation’s poison centers.”

Jointly, America’s 55 poison centers provide services to the entire U.S. population in all 50 states and U.S. territories. Poison centers save lives and protect the health of Americans through direct medical services, data collection and monitoring, and educational outreach, at no cost to the public. “Poisonings can happen anywhere and to anyone. While the majority of poisonings happen at home, they can also occur in the workplace, schools, and healthcare facilities. Parents and older adults are not the only ones who benefit from poison control services. Health care providers in emergency rooms and hospitals rely on the experts at poison centers to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of their patients as well,” said Dr. Schauben.                

In 2014, approximately 68 percent of human exposures reported to poison centers were treated at the exposure site, saving millions of dollars in unnecessary hospital visits. Unfortunately, budget cuts continue to threaten the existence of poison centers. “Poison centers save Americans more than $1.8 billion every year in medical costs and lost productivity, however, without continued funding, many poison centers could be forced to close their doors,” said Stephen T. Kaminski, JD, AAPCC CEO and Executive Director. “The poison control system is extremely cost-efficient, as it takes just $0.43 a year per U.S. resident to fund the nation’s poison control system, a network of 55 poison centers working tirelessly to provide free services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year-round through the Poison Help line.”

While most poisoning deaths are due to the misuse and abuse of licit and illicit drugs, poison exposures can involve a vast array of substances and occur in many ways. In 2014, almost 80 percent of exposures reported to poison centers involved people who swallowed a substance. However, people were also exposed through the lungs, skin, eyes, and other routes. Additionally, 57 percent of human exposures reported to poison centers involved medications, or pharmaceuticals. Other exposures are to consumer and household products, plants, mushrooms, pesticides, animal bites and stings, carbon monoxide, chemicals, and many other types of non-pharmaceutical substances. “It’s important to remember that poisonings can really happen to anyone, anywhere, and at any time. While the majority of human exposures called in to poison centers occur at a residence, they can also occur in the workplace, schools, healthcare facilities and elsewhere. The good news is that many poisonings are preventable.

Content Credit: http://www.aapcc.org/