Get Your Poison Control Educational Materials Just in Time for National Poison Prevention Week!

The third full week of March marks National Poison Prevention Week. In 1961, Congress established National Poison Prevention Week to raise awareness, reduce unintentional poisonings, and promote poison prevention.

A poison is considered any substance, including medications, which can be harmful to your body if too much is ingested, inhaled, injected or absorbed through the skin. An accidental poisoning occurs when a person unintentionally takes too much of a substance and does not mean to cause harm.

The Texas Poison Control Network (TPCN) is here to help spread awareness and remind you to contact a poison center in the event of a possible poisoning. During the third week of March, educators throughout the country will be holding various educational activities to help promote awareness about poison control services. The TPCN provides educational materials for ordering and you can do it directly from their website.

If you are located in Texas, please visit www.poisoncontrol.org where you can order poison control pamphlets on:

·        Poison Prevention Guide

·        Parents of Newborns

·        Bites and Stings

·        Poisonous Plants

·        Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

In the event that you or someone with you has been poisoned, first remain calm. Then call the toll-free Poison Help line right away at 1-800-222-1222, which connects you to your local poison center. Make sure to have the following information handy:

·              Victim’s weight

·              The container or bottle that provides what the victim was poisoned with

·              When the poisoning occurred

·              The location of the poisoning