MANILA, Philippines — Recognizing the urgent need to increase public awareness of the preventive aspects of poisoning at home, in school, and workplace, and the general environment, Presidential Proclamation No. 1777 of 2009 has designated the fourth week of June every year as National Poison Prevention Week.
Named lead agencies in the planning and organizing of activities for the celebration are the Department of Health and the Philippine Society of Clinical and Occupational Toxicology.
With the recent start of classes and the onset of the rainy season, it would be good to caution parents and school officials on the safety of food to prevent children from experiencing cases of poisoning and acquiring other food or water-related diseases especially this rainy season.
There are several ways food can get contaminated – during food processing, during cultivation, through the environment, and by food handling. Other possible causes of poisoning are materials used in school, pencil lead and toxic coloring materials, among the most common.
Prevention is always the most prudent measure. Refrigerate perishable food items like meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and milk.
Examine expiration dates in processed foods and canned and bottled food and drinks. Be cautious of the school supplies you buy; examine the label for any toxic components. Keep medicines and chemicals such as cleaning agents and the like out of reach of children. Dispose of waste properly.
Open burning of waste is banned under the Clean Air Act and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, because it can release dozens of pollutants into the air, including dioxin, a proven human carcinogen.
Parents would do well to warn their children of the dangers of ingesting contaminated food or toxic chemicals and point to them the items in the household that are likely to contain poisonous components/ingredients. Always remember that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. –Manila Bulletin
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