Proc. 7281 Title 3--The President Proclamation 7281 of March 17, 2000 National Poison Prevention Week, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Children face many dangers growing up, including some which we cannot foresee or prevent. But the danger of accidental poisoning from medicines, household chemicals, or other substances used routinely in the home is something we can--and must--stop. Each year during National Poison Pre- vention Week, we assess our progress in saving lives and reaffirm our na- tional commitment to preventing iniuries or deaths from poisoning. We have indeed made progress in the nearly 4 decades since the Congress first authorized this annual observance. In 1962, almost 450 children died of poisoning after swallowing medicines or household chemicals. By 1996, that tragic statistic had been reduced to 47. Our goal is to reduce it to zero. The first and most effective means to achieving this goal is the proper use of child-resistant packaging, which the Consumer Product Safety Commis- sion requires for many medicines and household chemicals. While this spe- cial packaging is child-resistant, however, it is not childproof; therefore, it is essential that adults keep potentially poisonous substances locked away from children. Our second line of defense is America's poison control centers, where life- saving information is only a phone call away. If a poisoning does occur, parents or other caregivers can call one of these centers and immediately learn the appropriate actions to take to mitigate the poison's effects. Last month, I was proud to sign into law the Poison Control Center Enhance- ment and Awareness Act, which authorizes $\17740 million over the next 5 years to fund our Nation's poison control centers, to carry out a national public awareness campaign, and to establish a national toll-free poison con- trol hotline. Each year, more than 2 million poisonings are reported, a mil- lion of which involve children, and this new funding will ensure that call- ers have immediate access to the vital services and information they need to save lives. I thank the Poison Prevention Week Council, which brings together 35 na- tional organizations to distribute poison prevention information to phar- macies, public health departments, and safety organizations nationwide, for its vital role in the progress Americans have made in reducing accidental poisonings. By following its lead, properly using child-resistant packaging, keeping poisonous substances locked away from children, and keeping the number of a poison prevention center close by the telephone, we can great- ly reduce accidental poisonings. To encourage the American people to learn more about the dangers of acci- dental poisonings and to take responsible preventive measures, the Con- gress, by ioint resolution approved September 26, \17796\177 (75 Stat. 68\177), has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation designating the third week of March of each year as "National Poison Prevention Week." NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM }. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week beginning March 19, 2000, 44
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