||Contact | A-Z Health Index | Events & Meetings|
FOR RELEASE: March 21, 2002
New National Hotline Number Saves Lives, Money
A new national hotline number created by Congress to prevent poisonings is saving lives and health care dollars. That’s why parents and caregivers are being encouraged to post the number by the phone: 1-800-222-1222.
The new number was created to provide immediate access to the nation’s 65 local poison control centers through one national number. Thousands of Americans have already taken advantage of the free and confidential service. In addition, for every dollar spent on a poison control center saves nearly seven dollars in otherwise unnecessary medical costs. Because of this, the Oklahoma SAFE KIDS Coalition urges those with young children to keep the number nearby.
“More than three-fourths of all poison exposures can be successfully treated at home with the advice of a poison center, thus saving the time and expense involved in an emergency room visit,” said Martha Collar, coordinator of the coalition, a program of the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
Last year, poison centers in the U.S. answered nearly 2.25 million emergency phone calls. More than half of those poison exposures occurred in children under the age of 6, and most happened at home. About 30 young children die each year from unintentional poisonings, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Officials at the Oklahoma Poison Control Center took 46,983 of those calls in 2001.
Childhood poisoning is a hazard often overlooked by parents and caregivers. Commonly used products such as cosmetics, detergents and medicines can be fatal to young children if left within their reach. Even innocent looking items like household plants and vitamin supplements can poison a child in less than a minute.
"Children ages 5 and under are particularly vulnerable to poisonings due to their curiosity and natural desire to put everything into their mouths," said Collar.
Oklahoma SAFE KIDS offers the following tips for preventing poisonings:
If a poisoning does occur, follow these guidelines:
For free poison hotline telephone stickers and educational materials, contact the Oklahoma Poison Control Center, 405-271-5062.
Copyright © State of Oklahoma