Poison Prevention
Annual Poison Prevention Poster Contest (2013 winning entry above)
The above billboard will beposted 85TH & BLONDO SSFE-SDIGITAL and 118TH & "I" SSFW-S -DIGITAL March 17th - March 23rd 2013
Poison Prevention Week 2013
Each year the National Safety Council, Nebraska and the Nebraska Regional Poison Center provide a poster contest to educate, raise poison prevention awareness and increase knowledge of the poison center. If you ever suspect a poisoning call the poison center and they can inform you of the next best steps for you to take. They are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week at 1-800-222-1222 or in Omaha at 402-955-5555 . The winner above will be entered in the national contest, have their artwork displayed on billboards, as well as receive a pizza party for their home room class. Watch for the rules and entry forms on our web site each January-February.
The Overdose Epidemic
Poisoning – particularly from overdoses of over-the-counter, prescription and illicit drugs – has surpassed falls to become the nation’s second-leading cause of unintentional death, after motor-vehicle collisions. With an 80 percent increase from 2001 to 2006, poisoning is the fastest-rising cause of accidental death in the United States.
Unintentional Poisoning from Overdoses
While most people think of poisoning as a childhood issue, adults are overwhelmingly to blame for the steep recent increase in unintentional poisoning deaths.
Between 1993 and 2003, there was a 107 percent increase in the unintentional poisoning death rate from overdoses among Americans ages 20 to 64. In Washington state and the District of Columbia, overdoses have surpassed motor vehicle crashes to become the leading cause of unintentional death.
Drug-related poisonings are often due to overdose or misuse of opioid analgesics initially prescribed to treat chronic pain, such as oxycodone, methadone, hydrocodone, fentanyl and buprenorphine. While the greatest number of these deaths is occurring among white men ages 45 to 54 – up nearly 6,000 in a decade – poisoning death rates are increasing fastest among white women – up more than 300 percent.
The National Safety Council has issued a report on “Trends in Unintentional Poisoning Deaths and Death Rates” that details the steep increase in these deaths. Click here for the 2008 summary.
Call to Educate
A survey conducted in fall 2007 by the National Safety Council revealed that most Americans (81 percent) still believe that children are at greatest risk for poisoning. Less than 4 percent said adults, though data shows that less than one percent of fatal poisoning deaths in 2004 affected children (ages 0-5) and more than 96 percent involved adults (19 years and older).
The need for public education is clear. When asked to rank potential causes of poisoning in the Council’s fall 2007 survey, 53 percent of people surveyed said household chemicals were most commonly associated with fatal poisoning while just 34 percent named drugs and medicine.
Poisoning and Children
While children rarely die today from unintentional poisoning, non-fatal poisonings remain a childhood concern. About 50,000 children under the age of 4 are injured by unintentional poisonings every year.
This is testament to the success of national awareness efforts, such as poison prevention campaigns and child-resistant packaging.
