A resolution recognizing the week of March 15 through March 21, 2020, as "National Poison Prevention Week" and encouraging communities across the United States to raise awareness of the dangers of poisoning and promote poisoning prevention.

III 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. RES. 546 Recognizing the week of March 15 through March 21, 2020, as ‘‘National Poison Prevention Week’’ and encouraging communities across the United States to raise awareness of the dangers of poisoning and promote poisoning prevention. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 18, 2020 Mr. BROWN (for himself and Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina) submitted the fol- lowing resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Edu- cation, Labor, and Pensions RESOLUTION Recognizing the week of March 15 through March 21, 2020, as ‘‘National Poison Prevention Week’’ and encouraging communities across the United States to raise awareness of the dangers of poisoning and promote poisoning pre- vention. Whereas the designation of National Poison Prevention Week was first authorized by Congress and President Kennedy in 1961 in Public Law 87–319 (75 Stat. 681); Whereas National Poison Prevention Week occurs during the third full week of March each year; Whereas the American Association of Poison Control Centers (referred to in this preamble as the ‘‘AAPCC’’) works with the 55 poison control centers in the United States— VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:49 Mar 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR546.IS SR546 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 546 IS (1) to track more than 1,000 commonly used house- hold and workplace products; and (2) to track poisonings and the sources of those poisonings; Whereas 2,000,000 people call the poison help line annually to reach a poison control center; Whereas, as reported to the AAPCC, more than 90 percent of poison exposures reported to local poison control cen- ters occur in the home; Whereas local poison control centers save the people of the United States $1,800,000,000 in medical costs per year; Whereas the AAPCC and poison control centers partner with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and State and local health de- partments to monitor occurrences of environmental, bio- logical, and emerging threats in communities across the United States, including food poisoning, botulism, and vaping-associated lung injury; Whereas, in the United States— (1) more than 300 children 19 years of age and younger are treated in emergency departments for poi- soning every day; and (2) 980 children 19 years of age and younger die as a result of being poisoned each year; Whereas children younger than 6 years of age constitute nearly 1⁄2 of all poison exposures each year; Whereas, from 2010 to 2018, data from poison control cen- ters revealed a significant increase of 9.9 percent in the number of intentional suicide patients who were adoles- cents 10 to 19 years of age, and that increase dispropor- tionately occurred among females; VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:49 Mar 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR546.IS SR546 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 546 IS Whereas, in 2018— (1) more than 114,000 children 19 years of age and younger were treated in an emergency room due to unin- tended pediatric poisoning; and (2) more than 90 percent of those incidents occurred in the home, most often with blood pressure medications, acetaminophen, laundry packets, bleach, or sedatives or anti-anxiety medication; Whereas 70,237 cases of death due to drug overdose were re- ported in the United States in 2017, and the majority of those cases, approximately 68 percent, involved an opioid; Whereas the most common medications that adults call the poison help line about are analgesics, antipsychotics, antidepressants, and cardiovascular medications; Whereas pain medications— (1) lead the list of the most common substances im- plicated in adult poison exposures; and (2) are the single most frequent cause of pediatric fatalities reported to the AAPCC; Whereas poison control centers issue guidance and provide support to individuals, including individuals who experi- ence medication and dosing errors; Whereas more than 60 percent of therapeutic errors involve individuals 20 years of age or older, with more than 1⁄2 of those involving patients older than 50 years of age, and common errors include drug interactions, incorrect dosing route, incorrect timing of doses, and double doses; Whereas normal, curious children younger than 6 years of age— VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:49 Mar 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR546.IS SR546 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 546 IS (1) are in stages of growth and development in which they are constantly exploring and investigating the world around them; and (2) are often unable to read or recognize warning la- bels; Whereas the AAPCC— (1) engages in community outreach by educating the public on poison safety and poisoning prevention; and (2) provides educational resources, materials, and guidelines to educate the public on poisoning prevention; Whereas individuals can reach a poison control center from anywhere in the United States by calling the poison help line at 1–800–222–1222; Whereas, despite regulations of the Consumer Product Safety Commission requiring that a child-resistant package be designed or constructed to be significantly difficult for children under 5 years of age to open, or obtain a harm- ful amount of the contents, within a reasonable time, children can still get into child-resistant packages; and Whereas, each year during National Poison Prevention Week, the Federal Government assesses the progress made by the Federal Government in saving lives and reaffirms the national commitment of the Federal Government to pre- venting injuries and deaths from poisoning: Now, there- fore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) recognizes the week of March 15 through 2 March 21, 2020, as ‘‘National Poison Prevention 3 Week’’; 4 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:49 Mar 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR546.IS SR546 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •SRES 546 IS (2) expresses gratitude for the people who oper- 1 ate or support poison control centers in their local 2 communities; 3 (3) supports efforts and resources to provide 4 poison prevention guidance or emergency assistance 5 in response to poisonings; and 6 (4) encourages— 7 (A) the people of the United States to edu- 8 cate their communities and families about poi- 9 son safety and poisoning prevention; and 10 (B) health care providers to practice and 11 promote poison safety and poisoning prevention. 12 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:49 Mar 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR546.IS SR546 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS