Children Act Fast…
So Do Poisons
The 47th Observance of National Poison Prevention
Week
 The doorbell rings and you leave your toddler
playing quietly on the kitchen floor while you answer the door. Even though
you were only gone for a couple of seconds, your child gets into the cleaners
underneath the kitchen sink. What would you do? Children Act Fast… So Do Poisons!
Situations like the above occur in households across America
often and could have been avoided if there had been a lock on the cabinet
door. In any given year, there are between 2 and 4 million poisonings reported
to poison control centers across the United States. Approximately 60% of
those reported involve children under the age of 6 who were exposed to
toxins in their homes. In order to prevent unintentional poisonings, it
is important to promote awareness of poison prevention through various
activities and outreach initiatives.
Each year, during the third week of March, the New Jersey
Poison Information and Education System (NJPIES) participates in National
Poison Prevention Week (March 16-22, 2008). In observance of this year’s
National Poison Prevention Week, NJPIES reminds you to poison proof your home
using the following safety tips:
- Lock up all household chemicals and medicines (over-the-counter
and prescription). Lock them up, out of reach and out of sight of children
at all times
- Always use child-resistant packaging. Be sure to replace the
caps promptly and properly after use.
- Call 1-800-222-1222 for immediate treatment or to answer your questions
- Visit
our newly, redesigned website today at www.njpies.org. You
will find free downloads, be able to request a speaker to provide a
poison prevention program for your organization, or order free educational
materials in English/Spanish.
NJ Poison Center services include:
- Emergency/Information Hotline Service - Call 1-800-222-1222 right
away if someone may have been poisoned or if you have questions
about drug interactions, poisons, poison prevention, pesticide
safety, poison proofing your home, etc. When you call this
number, you talk to specially trained medical professionals
(poison specialists) who are there to provide immediate emergency
treatment advice for all kinds of poison exposures. Hotline
services are free and confidential and available 24
hours a day, 7 days a week. Translation and TTD/TTY services
available.
- Public Education - Provide NJ residents with the
information necessary to carry out poison safe practices
in their workplaces, homes, and communities.
- Surveillance -
Poison Centers protect consumers by identifying hazards early.
Poison Center data are the basis for product reformulation,
repackaging, or recall. Without this surveillance, children
will be needlessly injured, especially by newly marketed
toxic products.
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