Nationwide Campaign Focuses on Safe Storage of Pesticides, Other Household Chemicals to Protect Children
July 31, 2003

EPA Pesticide Program E-mail Update

In an effort to protect children from poisons, clinics, health departments and hospitals around the country will shortly begin receiving display posters urging consumers to store pesticides and other household chemicals up high in a locked cabinet. The educational campaign, a collaboration between EPA and the American Association of Poison Control Centers and other stakeholders, is being launched in August as many parents take their children to clinics for immunizations in preparation of the upcoming school year. Storing pesticides and other chemicals out of children's reach, up high in a locked cabinet, can be a simple but effective means of poison prevention. The campaign will also publicize a toll-free number for people to call if a child may have been poisoned. For possible poisons, consumers should immediately call the poison center at 1-800-222-1222. From anywhere in the country, this toll-free number will automatically reach local poison center experts. Commuters in the Washington, D.C. area will continue to see "EPA's "Read the Label First!" message on local Metro buses and trains. The Agency's safe storage label campaign is part of a broader program called the Consumer Labeling Initiative, a partnership involving federal, state, and local government agencies, industry, and other entities interested in improving product labels on pesticides and toxic substances. To view a copy of the poster, go to: http://www.epa.gov/oppfead1/cb/csb_page/publications/lockitup-poster.pdf