Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions S686

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

By Mr. DEWINE (for himself, Mrs. MURRAY, Ms. LANDRIEU, Mr. BREAUX, Mr. BINGAMAN, and Mr. INOUYE):

S. 686. A bill to provide assistance for poison prevention and to stabilize the funding of regional poison control centers; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Mr. DEWINE. Mr. President, I am pleased to join with my colleagues—Senators MURRAY, LANDRIEU, BREAUX, BINGAMAN, and INOUYE—to introduce the Poison Control Center Awareness and Enhancement Act of 2003. Our bill is designed to help make certain that the vital work of our nation's poison control centers continues.

Many of us—as parents and grandparents—have experienced the terrifying situation when a child accidentally swallows something potentially toxic. Fortunately, local poison control centers—many of them located at children's hospitals—work around the clock to answer questions from parents and to field phone calls from others about possible poisonings. Today, we also have in place a national, toll-free poison control telephone number—and that number is 1-800-222-1222—that automatically connects callers to specially trained nurses, pharmacists, and doctors at the closest local poison center.

This phone number went into effect as a result of legislation I helped get signed into law a few years ago. And now, as parents of eight children and now grandparents of eight, my wife, Fran, and I can tell you that we rest a bit easier knowing that in the case of a possible poisoning, all we need to do is call a toll free, 1-800 telephone number to get in contact with the nearest poison control center. Any parents, anywhere—whether they are in their own hometown or in another state on vacation—can call the 1-800 number, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the event of a poisoning.

There are over 70 poison control centers nationwide—three in my home State of Ohio. These centers have fielded over one million phone calls just since January 2002, answering questions about poisonous, drug abuse, product contents, substance identification interactions, and adverse reactions. They can answer questions and concerns about what would typically be called poisonous products—things like cleaners and bleach. This is the most common poison exposure for children, who typically ingest household products, such as cosmetics and personal care products, cleaning substances, pain relievers, foreign bodies, and plants.

But poison control centers can also answer questions about products that people may not think are poisonous, like prescribed medicines or over-the-counter medications. Maybe someone mixed medications or misread a label and took too much of the medicine by accident. Poison control centers can answer caller questions and direct the caller to seek medical attention if necessary.

I remember very clearly a time when Fran and I needed to call the local poison control center. As we were wrapping up our annual Ice Cream Social at our home in Cedarville, our then two year-old granddaughter, Isabelle, fell into a bucket of cleaning solution. We feared that she may have swallowed some of the solution and immediately called the poison control center. We were very lucky. The trained health care professional at the local poison center explained that all we needed to do was rinse Isabelle off and have her drink some water. The quick response of the poison control center provided rapid, easy answers to our questions—a process that has become even easier since the toll-free hotline began operating.

A young child, like Isabelle, is representative of most poisoning cases; however, adults often face situations necessitating information and help from poison control centers. Take the example of what occurred in Marysville, OH. Thirty workers in a manufacturing plant in Marysville were victims of gas exposure. Twenty of these workers went to Union Memorial Hospital. The hospital contacted the poison center, after which these patients were given oxygen and later discharged that same day. Ten others went to a different hospital that did not call a poison center. These patients were not released until the next day, even though their symptoms did not differ from the other 20 workers. The national hotline will help cut-down on situations like that in Marysville.

Our Nation's poison control centers handle an average of one poison exposure every 15 seconds. These centers are critical to our communities—especially now during this time of war and uncertainty. Parents are already anxious about the safety of their children, and with the potential anthrax scares or chemical or biologic scares, poison control centers can provide information to parents and help relieve some of their concerns.

The bill we are introducing today would provide the continued funding needed to ensure that the national toll-free number continues to operate, taking phone calls and helping families across the country. We must continue to increase the accessibility and effectiveness of our nation's poison control centers, as well as cement their existence for future generations. With this bill, we are not just making an investment in poison control; rather, we are making it easier to keep our children, friends, and ourselves safer and healthier.