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March 20-26 is National Poison Prevention Week
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CANANDAIGUA, NY - March 20 through March 26 is National Poison Prevention Week, an annual program established by an act of Congress in 1961 to spread the message that children act fast...so do poisons! Poison control centers in the United States receive 1.2 million calls each year as a result of unintentional poisoning of children ages 5 and under.
"It doesn't take much to make a small child sick," says Patti Knapp, SAFE KIDS Finger Lakes coordinator, and Family Health and Education coordinator at Thompson Health. "Kids have faster metabolisms than adults and anything they ingest will be absorbed into the bloodstream very quickly."
Child-resistant packaging is credited with saving hundreds of children's lives since its introduction in the 1970s, and childhood lead poisoning declined by 80 percent in the 15 years after unleaded gasoline and paint became industry standards.
SAFE KIDS Finger Lakes reminds parents and caregivers to keep the poison control number handy. From anywhere in the United States, the number will connect you to the local poison control center. The phone number is 800-222-1222.
SAFE KIDS Finger Lakes is part of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, the first and only national nonprofit organization dedicated solely to the prevention of unintentional childhood injury - the number one killer of children ages 14 and under. More than 300 state and local SAFE KIDS coalitions in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico make up the Campaign, which is a member of the Poison Prevention Week Council. For more information, call (585) 396-6497 or visit the national website at www.safekids.org.
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