[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 55 (Wednesday, March 20, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 19727-19728]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-06024]


 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 89 , No. 55 / Wednesday, March 20, 2024 / 
Presidential Documents  

 ___________________________________________________________________

 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 19727]]

                Proclamation 10711 of March 15, 2024

                
National Poison Prevention Week, 2024

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Every year, Americans report more than 2 million cases 
                of poisoning. During National Poison Prevention Week, 
                we thank all those who staff our Nation's poison 
                control centers for working around the clock to offer 
                people in need life-saving guidance and care. We urge 
                all Americans to learn how to prevent and respond to 
                poison emergencies.

                Poisoning risks abound in everyday items, from 
                medicines and cosmetics to cleaning supplies and 
                household chemicals. Tens of thousands of children a 
                year end up in the emergency room after accidently 
                ingesting household products like the small batteries 
                found in toys and game controllers. Federal laws like 
                the Poison Prevention Packaging Act of 1970 and the 
                Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act of 2015 have 
                saved countless lives, decreasing accidental childhood 
                poisoning deaths by over 70 percent since 1972. There 
                is still more to do.

                In 2022, I signed Reese's Law, which established child 
                safety standards to reduce the risk of injury from 
                ingesting small batteries. To avoid dangerous mix-ups, 
                we urge everyone to label their medications clearly, to 
                keep them away from children in child-safe packaging, 
                and to throw them out when expired or no longer needed. 
                The liquid nicotine used in e-cigarettes can be deadly 
                and should be stored in child-resistant packaging.

                My Administration is also taking aggressive action to 
                combat the opioid crisis. Following the directives 
                outlined in our National Drug Control Strategy, my 
                Administration is working to prevent dangerous illicit 
                drugs from ever reaching our borders by working with 
                countries like Mexico and the People's Republic of 
                China to disrupt the trafficking of deadly illicit 
                fentanyl and boosting law enforcement's capabilities at 
                the border. My Administration is funding the expansion 
                of substance use prevention, harm reduction, treatment, 
                and recovery services including by expanding access to 
                lifesaving opioid-overdose-reversal medications like 
                naloxone nationwide.

                Poisoning deaths are preventable, and awareness is 
                essential to saving lives. If you believe that you or 
                someone you know may have ingested a toxic substance, 
                call the National Poison Control help line immediately 
                at 800-222-1222 to be connected to a local poison 
                control center. Trained experts are ready to offer 
                real-time help and can often solve a poisoning 
                emergency over the phone. Learn more about their 
                lifesaving services at poisonhelp.hrsa.gov.

                To encourage Americans to learn more about the dangers 
                of unintentional poisonings and to take appropriate 
                preventive measures, on September 26, 1961, the United 
                States Congress, by joint resolution (75 Stat. 681), 
                authorized and requested the President to issue a 
                proclamation designating the third week of March each 
                year as ``National Poison Prevention Week.''

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, do hereby proclaim March 
                17 through March 23, 2024, to be National Poison 
                Prevention Week. I call upon all Americans to observe 
                this week by taking actions to safeguard their families 
                and friends from poisonous products, chemicals, and 
                medicines often found in our homes

[[Page 19728]]

                and to raise awareness of these dangers to prevent 
                accidental injuries and deaths.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                fifteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                eighth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2024-06024
Filed 3-19-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P