Every third week in March we celebrate and observe National Poison Prevention Week (NPPW). Established in 1961 by Congress, National Poison Prevention Week was originated to raise awareness of poison prevention and safety.
In 2021, Poison Help responded to more than 2 million human exposure cases; on average, receiving an exposure case every 15 seconds. Some of the leading exposure substance categories included cleaning supplies and cosmetic/personal care products - all of which are common household items.
“My son drank a mouthful of all-purpose cleaner while I was cleaning the house. My only thought was to call Poison Help! I even got a follow-up call from them, which made me feel like they really cared.” - A testimonial from a Poison Help caller. Now she keeps her cleaning products safely stored away from her little one!
Unfortunately, 3,809 poison-related deaths were reported in 2021. This number serves as an important reminder that while poison exposures and accidents do occur, they can also be prevented with education and awareness.
The best prevention of a poison emergency is to have POISON HELP's contact information on hand in case of an accidental exposure.
NPPW 2023 is March 19-25, 2023. Please check back as we will continue to add resources and educational events you can join during National Poison Prevention Week.
SHAREABLE RESOURCES
Click on the headers below for links to the downloadable resources. The partner toolkit is available here for individuals and organizations to promote poison prevention in their communities. All of the Spanish versions of the graphics below are available here.
America’s Poison Centers represents 55 poison centers across the country, we are united in our cause to prevent every poison and toxin-related health emergency in America. We provide all Americans expert advice from nationally accredited medical specialists, and maintain the nation’s only near real-time poisoning data surveillance system. Together, America’s Poison Centers ensure a national quality standard for the detection, prevention and treatment of toxin-related health emergencies.
America's Poison Centers core membership is made up of the U.S. poison centers who combined answer calls to the Poison Help line (1-800-222-1222) in every U.S. state and territory. This includes the physicians, pharmacists, nurses, health educators, and administrators they employ. America's Poison Centers provides opportunities for its members to collaborate with other poison center providers across the world but does not accredit those services.