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National Poison Prevention Week 2027

March 21–27, 2027 The third full week of March (Sunday–Saturday)

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National Poison Prevention Week arrives March 21–27, 2027, with one practical goal: get the Poison Help number into every phone before it’s needed.

Third Full Week of March

Every year, during March’s third full week, from Sunday to Saturday. The 2024 week ran March 17 to 23.

Federal law created it in 1961, and the president proclaims it each year. In 2025, it fell on March 16 to 22. Local events are run by poison centers and health departments, along with pharmacists.

A Pharmacist’s Idea

A Missouri pharmacist, Homer George, began pushing for the week in the late 1950s.

Lawmakers agreed. President John F. Kennedy signed Public Law 87-319 on September 16, 1961, and the first week ran March 18 to 24, 1962.

Earlier laws had paved the way. In 1927, the Caustic Poisons Act required warnings on household lye.

Groundwork was already in place. The country’s first poison control center had opened in Chicago in 1953.

Twenty-one groups and agencies formed a Poison Prevention Week Council to organize it.

States joined quickly. By 1966, almost every state had poison prevention programs.

Packaging laws followed. The Poison Prevention Packaging Act of 1970 required child-resistant caps on many products.

Why It Still Matters

Early results were striking. Poisoning deaths among children under 5 fell from about 450 in 1961 to 55 in 1983, an 88% drop.

Danger hasn’t gone away. Poisoning is a top cause of injury death in the U.S., the Upstate New York Poison Center says.

By the Upstate center’s count, it kills more people each year than guns or car crashes.

Poison centers stay busy. In 2022, the country’s 55 centers handled more than 2,000,000 exposure cases and information requests.

Figures for 2024 show the same pace. Centers logged 2,092,689 human exposures, about one every 15 seconds, and 2,418,426 calls in all.

Most cases end safely at home. In 2024, 66.6% of exposures were managed where they happened, without a trip to a hospital.

For children 5 and under, household cleaners topped the list. Pain medicines and personal care products came next.

Children and teens make up most cases. In 2024, people up to age 19 accounted for 54.8% of exposures.

Young kids remain a big group. In 2021, children under 6 made up 41% of all poison exposures.

Grown-ups have their own top risks. In the 2024 data, pain medicines led their list, ahead of heart drugs and antidepressants.

Adults call too. More than 40% of calls to the help line that year came from adults 20 and older.

One regional center shows the load. Upstate New York’s alone took more than 53,000 calls in 2025.

How to Poison-Proof Your Home

Save the number first. Poison Help is 1-800-222-1222, free and confidential, and it connects you to your local poison center.

  • Store medicines and cleaners up high, out of children’s sight and reach.
  • Keep products in their original containers with the labels on.
  • Close child-resistant caps all the way after every use.
  • Install carbon monoxide detectors near every bedroom in your home.
  • Check PoisonHelp.org for prevention tips and free materials.
  • Share your local center’s activity sheets with a classroom or day care.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is National Poison Prevention Week a federal observance?

Yes. A federal statute calls for it, and a presidential proclamation marks it.

Do pet poisonings count?

They do. Centers also take calls about animals, and those are counted in the overall total.

When was its 25th anniversary?

In 1986, when CDC noted the milestone in its weekly report.

Who runs the national network of centers?

America’s Poison Centers, the group that supports the local centers.

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