Agencies Target Safety Messages to Poison Prevention Week

CPSC, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and agencies in Canada and Australia issued safety information on cleaning and pest control products as part of 2013 Poison Prevention Week activities. The 2013 Poison Prevention Week runs from March 17-23.

CPSC March 20 lauded the efforts of more than 50 years of National Poison Prevention Weeks, specifically a 90% reduction in the number of child deaths from unintentional poisoning, from about 400 in the early 1960s to approximately 40 in the early 2010s. The agency described its work on the requirement of child-resistant closures on certain medicines and household chemicals as “one of CPSCs greatest contributions to the effort.” It detailed its work on reducing the risk of coin-sized batteries and single-load laundry packets.

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) March 21issued a statement with CPSC, warning of the poison dangers of such packets. With Australian poison call centers receiving over 85 calls in the past 18 months related to the products and CPSC knowing of more than 500 incidents (in an unspecified time period), the release posits that children may be mistaking the “soft and colorful” product for “candy, toys, or a teething product. CPSC Chairman Tenenbaum said her agency is “asking makers of laundry packets to help prevent unintentional injuries” by cutting down on accessibility, improving labels and “establishing a comprehensive voluntary standard.”

Health Canada March 19 issued a series of safety tips for parents and caregivers to help reduce numbers of unintentional poisoning in children. The tips included educating children on the meanings of hazard symbols on products, storing chemicals in areas inaccessible to children and testing child-resistant aspects of potentially hazardous chemicals. The announcement also highlighted the agency’s partnership with CPSC and Mexico’s Consumer Protection Federal Agency on public awareness campaigns.

The U.S. EPA disseminated similar safety advice March 18, seeking to reduce the 145,000 reports made each year to poison centers involving disinfectants and pesticides. EPA cited data showing that 90% of poisoning happen in homes and about 65,000 children age 5 and younger are accidentally exposed to pesticides a year (with 15% involving mouse and rat poisons.) While EPA standards mandate these products must include a “tamper-resistant bait station,” it recommend keeping such products in a locked cabinet, checking the home for potential poisoning hazards and ensuring proper use of child-resistant packaging.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed Public Law 87-319, which led to the creation of the Poison Prevention Week Council and ultimately to the establishment of the annual Poison Prevention Week.