Raise Awareness during Poison Prevention Week 2018

This week marks Poison Prevention Week 2018 and the Texas Poison Center Network is here to help educate & keep your friends and family poison-free!  In 1961, the United States designated the third full week of March as National Poison Prevention Week, a week dedicated to teaching, educating and raising awareness about poisonings. This year marks the 56^th year and acts as a reminder that poisonings are currently the leading cause of injury related death in the country. But as with most injuries, many can be prevented and for those that aren’t, a poison expert is only a phone call away and ready to assist you.

Each year 250,000 calls regarding potential poisonings are received by Texas poison centers alone. In 2016, poison centers in the US received approximately 2,159 million calls on poison exposures. That’s one poison exposure call every 14.6 seconds! Roughly 56% of these calls were human exposure cases involving drugs and medications. Other exposures included household and personal care products, plants, mushrooms, pesticides, animal bites and stings, carbon monoxide, and many other types of non-pharmaceutical substances. Although exposure by ingestion accounted for 79% of these cases, people were also exposed to potentially dangerous poisons through other routes like the lungs, skin, and eyes.

Shockingly, more than 90% of the poisoning deaths occurred among individuals over the age of 20 and involved medications/drugs. This is actually the most common exposure among adults and a good majority of these involved opiates. According to the Centers for Disease Control, opioid overdoses have quadrupled in the U.S. since 1999.

What is considered a poison?

A poison is any substance, including medications, which can be harmful to your body if too much is ingested, inhaled, injected or absorbed through the skin. Accidental poisoning can occur when a person unintentionally takes too much of a substance without wanting to cause themselves harm.

Poisonings are more common than you think. Currently, more than two million poisonings are reported each year to poison centers in the US. And according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), approximately 90 percent of these poisonings are happening at home, with 51%of them involving children under the age of six.

Here are some poison facts and tips to remember:

• In children ages six and younger, the most common exposures are to medicines, personal care and cleaning products.
• Child-resistant packages are not childproof. Most two-year olds can open a child-resistant container in 3 minutes or less.
• Calling 1-800-222-1222 from anywhere in the United States will connect you to your local poison center.  
• Keep all poisons locked up and out of reach of children.
• Never refer to medicine (prescription, vitamins or otherwise) as candy as children often mistake tiny pills for yummy candy.
• Get fuel burning appliances checked yearly and make sure working carbon monoxide detectors are installed in your home and checked twice a year. This is especially important for the winter months.

What to Do in the Event of an Accidental Poisoning

In the event that you or someone with you has been potentially poisoned, always remember to first remain calm. Then immediately call the toll-free Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. Follow all the instructions you are given by the poison control specialist. Many times, the poison control specialist will call back to make sure that things are okay and there is no need for further assistance. For more information on accidental poisonings and what you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones, please visit the Texas Poison Center Network website at www.poisoncontrol.org.