National Poison Prevention Week, 1999

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Part V

The President

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Proclamation 7174--National Poison Prevention Week, 1999

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 7174 of March 19, 1999

National Poison Prevention Week, 1999

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

During National Poison Prevention Week, Americans focus
on the progress we have made in reducing the number of
accidental poisonings that occur each year and reaffirm
our commitment to preventing further tragedies.

We can be heartened by the progress we have made. In
1962, when President Kennedy proclaimed the first
National Poison Prevention Week, 450 young people died
due to poisoning. That number has fallen dramatically.
There are many who share the credit for this growing
success story: responsible parents and caregivers, who
keep medicines, cosmetics, household cleaners,
insecticides, and other poisonous substances out of the
reach of children; the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission, which requires the use of child-resistant
packaging on potentially dangerous materials; the
Poison Prevention Week Council, which annually
distributes poison prevention information to
pharmacies, public health departments, and safety
organizations; and our Nation's poison control centers,
which provide lifesaving emergency first aid
information. Working together, these dedicated
individuals and organizations have saved hundreds of
lives each year.

But we cannot relax our efforts, because each life we
lose to accidental poisoning is one too many. We must
all do our part to protect our Nation's children by
selecting and properly using child-resistant packaging,
keeping poisonous substances accurately labeled and
locked away from children, carefully reading and
following all directions and caution labels on
packages, and keeping the number of a poison control
center close to the telephone. If a poisoning incident
does occur, we need to respond quickly by contacting
the poison control center, relaying the appropriate
information--such as the age and weight of the
poisoning victim and the type and amount of substance
he or she has ingested--and heeding instructions. These
simple safety measures can mean the difference between
life and death.

To encourage the American people to learn more about
the dangers of accidental poisonings and to take
responsible preventive measures, the Congress, by joint
resolution approved September 26, 1961 (75 Stat. 681),
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 J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week
beginning March 21, 1999, as National Poison Prevention
Week. I call upon all Americans to observe this week by
participating in appropriate ceremonies and activities
and by learning how to protect our children from
poisons.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
nineteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-third.