Rx Update: March 2000
Poison Prevention Week
Mary Ross, R.Ph., M.B.A.
Peer Review Status: Internally Reviewed
March 19-25, 2000 is being observed as National Poison Prevention
Week. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers
(AAPCC) Toxic Exposure Surveillance System, 24.8 million poisonings
were reported to poison centers during the period between 1983 and
1998. The top categories of agents involved in poisoning exposures in
order of their frequency were: cleaning products, analgesics,
cosmetics, plants, foreign bodies, cough and cold
preparations, bites/envenomations, insecticides/pesticides,
topicals, food poisoning, sedatives/hypnotics/antipsychotics,
and antidepressants. In contrast, the agents most commonly
implicated in fatalities in order of frequency were: analgesics,
antidepressants, stimulants and street drugs, cardiovascular
drugs, sedatives/hypnotics/antipsychotics, alcohols, chemicals,
gases and fumes, cleaning products, anticonvulsants, asthma
medications, and antihistamines.
It is noteworthy that pharmaceuticals account for a large portion
of the agents most frequently associated with fatalities. As health
care professionals, there are some simple steps we can take to
decrease future fatalities:
- Counsel all patients on the proper use and storage of
medications. A recent study found that 23% of the oral
prescription drugs that were ingested by children under 5 years of
age belonged to someone who did not live with the child.
- Encourage family members, friends, and patients to
poison-proof their homes.
- Always keep syrup of ipecac on hand at home. A one-ounce
bottle for each child or grandchild under 5 years of age is
recommended.
- If a suspected poisoning occurs, immediately call the poison
center. Not all exposures necessarily result in a poisoning. The
staff of the poison center, through careful history taking, will
provide you with the proper management.
- Keep the number of the poison center readily available.
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