[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 52 (Wednesday, March 18, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1806-S1807]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 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

  Mr. BROWN (for himself and Mr. Scott of South Carolina) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions:

                              S. Res. 546

       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--
       (1) to track more than 1,000 commonly used household 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 centers 
     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 departments 
     to monitor occurrences of environmental, biological, 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 poisoning 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 
     centers revealed a significant increase of 9.9 percent in the 
     number of intentional suicide patients who were adolescents 
     10 to 19 years of age, and that increase disproportionately 
     occurred among females;

[[Page S1807]]

       Whereas, in 2018--
       (1) more than 114,000 children 19 years of age and younger 
     were treated in an emergency room due to unintended 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 
     reported 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 implicated 
     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 experience 
     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--
       (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 labels;
       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 harmful 
     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 preventing injuries 
     and deaths from poisoning: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the week of March 15 through March 21, 2020, 
     as ``National Poison Prevention Week'';
       (2) expresses gratitude for the people who operate or 
     support poison control centers in their local communities;
       (3) supports efforts and resources to provide poison 
     prevention guidance or emergency assistance in response to 
     poisonings; and
       (4) encourages--
       (A) the people of the United States to educate their 
     communities and families about poison safety and poisoning 
     prevention; and
       (B) health care providers to practice and promote poison 
     safety and poisoning prevention.

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