The Utah Poison Control Center (UPCC) will join poison centers and poison prevention partners across the country in celebrating the 56th annual National Poison Prevention Week (NPPW), March 18-24, 2018, a week dedicated to raising awareness about poisoning and highlighting ways to prevent it.
The UPCC received over 40,000 poison exposures last year alone. While 60% of exposures in Utah involve children younger than 6 years of age, poisonings can happen at any age. If you think you or a loved one may have been exposed to a poison, do not hesitate to call the poison center for help. "Calling the poison control center is free and confidential. When you call, you will speak directly with a toxicology expert," said Barbara Insley Crouch, UPCC Executive Director. "Don't waste valuable time searching the internet. The poison center provides accurate and timely medical advice anytime, day or night."
During National Poisoning Prevention Week, UPCC wants to remind the public that while poisoning is the leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States, many poisonings are preventable. Poison prevention is a year-round responsibility. The UPCC has a variety of poison prevention tools to help keep you and your family safe from poison exposures. Visit the UPCC website utahpoisoncontrol.org to access resources for all ages. "It is vital that people implement poison prevention strategies in the home and the workplace" Crouch said.
To help prevent poisonings, UPCC offers the following recommendations:
Be prepared for an emergency.
Keep the national, free Poison Help phone number at your fingertips by saving the number in your mobile phone. Save the number…save a life. 1-800-222-1222
Practice safe storage habits.
Always store medicines and hazardous substances where children 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.
Connect with UPCC on Facebook , Pinterest, and Twitter @utahpoison during NPPW and throughout the year for messages, alerts, and tips on poison prevention #NPPW2018 #PreventPoison
About the Utah Poison Control Center
The Utah Poison Control Center (UPCC) is a 24-hour resource for poison information, clinical toxicology consultation, and poison prevention education. The UPCC is a program of the State of Utah and is administratively housed in the University of Utah College of Pharmacy. It is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by registered pharmacists, nurses, and physicians with additional training in management of poisonings. The UPCC is nationally certified as a regional poison control center.