Saint Louis, MO -- (ReleaseWire) -- 03/22/2019 --The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) will celebrate, March 17- 23, 2019, the 58th National Poison Prevention Week (NPPW). The Missouri Poison Center will join this national campaign to highlight the dangers of poisonings, and how to prevent them. In 2018, the Missouri Poison Center received approximately 58,000 calls. The most common substances involved in all exposure calls to the Missouri Poison Center are for: pain relievers, household cleaning products, cosmetics/personal care items, mental health medications, and antihistamines.
"The poison center has worked locally and nationally to bring awareness to childhood poisonings, yet we need to remember poisons span all ages. We need to do more to help educate parent and prevent the latest trends in "Juuling" or the misuse of household products in our teens." said Julie Weber, Missouri Poison Center Director.
To prevent poisonings, The Missouri Poison Center recommends the following:
- Be prepared for an emergency. Program the national, free Poison Help hotline into your phone: 1-800-222-1222.
- Practice safe storage habits. Always store medicines and hazardous substances up, away, and out of sight. Keep these substances in their original, child resistant containers.
- Read and follow all labels and directions. Review medicine and product labels before you use them, especially before giving medicine to children.
- Detect invisible threats. Have a working carbon monoxide detector in your home.
All calls to the Missouri Poison Center are answered by specially trained nurses, pharmacists, and physicians. In addition to lifesaving services, poison centers also provide educational outreach to prevent poison emergencies and inform the public about the dangers of poisons
Follow National Poison Prevention Week on social media at #PoisonHelp, #PreventPoison, and #NPPW19 on Twitter, by liking our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/MOPoisonCenter/ and by saving the Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) in your phone. Or you can visit us on the web, https://missouripoisoncenter.org/