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[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 96 Introduced in House (IH)]

107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 96

 Recognizing National Poison Prevention Week, and encouraging parents, 
 educators, and caregivers to teach children the dangers of ingesting 
                         household substances.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 21, 2001

 Mr. Barrett submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
 the Committee on Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees 
 on Education and the Workforce, and Energy and Commerce, for a period 
    to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Recognizing National Poison Prevention Week, and encouraging parents, 
 educators, and caregivers to teach children the dangers of ingesting 
                         household substances.

Whereas National Poison Prevention Week was authorized by Congress and President 
        Kennedy in 1961 by Public Law 87-319 (75 Stat. 681);
Whereas Congress intended this event as a means for local communities to raise 
        awareness of the dangers of unintentional poisonings and to take such 
        preventive measures as the dangers warrant;
Whereas each year, National Poison Prevention Week is designated by Presidential 
        proclamation and occurs during the third full week of March;
Whereas this year National Poison Prevention Week is the week beginning March 
        18th;
Whereas 4,000,000 accidental poisonings occur in the United States every year at 
        an estimated cost of $3,000,000,000 in medical expenses;
Whereas the Food and Drug Administration estimates that the Nation's 430 poison 
        control centers are contacted 1,500,000 times annually about human 
        exposure to potentially lethal substances;
Whereas in 75 percent of incidents, poison control centers are able to help 
        individuals handle exposures safely at home, and no visit to a health 
        care provider is required;
Whereas poison control centers help prevent about 50,000 hospitalizations and 
        400,000 doctor visits each year;
Whereas nine of 10 accidental poisonings occur in the home, and the toxins 
        involved can include cleaning agents, cosmetics, personal care products, 
        plants, insects, food, and fertilizers;
Whereas pharmaceuticals, both over-the counter and prescription drugs, account 
        for more than 40 percent of all poisonings;
Whereas 60 percent of accidental poisoning victims are children younger than six 
        years of age;
Whereas normal, curious children under the age of six are in stages of growth 
        and development in which they are constantly exploring and investigating 
        the world around them, and they are often unable to read or recognize 
        warning labels;
Whereas the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the American Association of 
        Poison Control Centers found that 23 percent of the oral prescription 
        drugs that were ingested by children under the age of six belonged to 
        someone who did not live with the child;
Whereas regulations of the Consumer Product Safety Commission require that 
        aspirin, and other products, be packaged in special containers that 
        would prevent at least 80 percent of those children tested from opening 
        the container during a 10-minute test;
Whereas each year during National Poison Prevention Week, we assess our progress 
        in saving lives and reaffirm our National commitment to preventing 
        injuries or deaths from poisoning; and
Whereas in the 2000 National Poison Prevention Week proclamation, President 
        Clinton stated that ``We have indeed made progress in the nearly 4 
        decades since the Congress first authorized this annual observance. In 
        1962, almost 450 children died of poisoning after swallowing medicines 
        or household chemicals. By 1996, that tragic statistic had been reduced 
        to 47. Our goal is to reduce it to zero.'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) fully supports National Poison Prevention Week;
            (2) recognizes the need for increased poison prevention 
        education for our Nation's children;
            (3) encourages parents, educators, and child care providers 
        to teach children the dangers of ingesting household 
        substances; and
            (4) asks parents to practice preventative actions to 
        decrease the incidence of accidental poisonings, including 
        being familiar with their children's medical histories, 
        becoming proficient at basic first-aid procedures, properly 
        labeling household chemicals and substances, and keeping 
        telephone numbers for the local poison control center and other 
        emergency services in accessible areas of the home.
                                 <all>
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