BOLTON South East MP Brian Iddon has leant his support to a gas company campaign to help reduce the number of local children being poisoned by household medicines and drugs.
Information packs are to be sent to Bolton schools by gas pipeline company Transco to warn children and parents of the hidden dangers household drugs pose. They will contain teaching notes, projects and quizzes.
The campaign comes after new research claims around 200 youngsters across the country die each year as a result of paracetamol poisoning.
Other potentially fatal household drugs identified in the campaign include cleaning agents, both prescription and illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco. The campaign is being launched in association with local education authorities and the Health Promotion Service.
Dr Iddon, who is also chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on drugs misuse, said: "Alerting young children to the dangers of poisons and drugs is an essential part of their education and in my opinion there has not been enough attention paid to it in the past.
"This campaign quite rightly recognises the importance of the issue and the crucial role that parents play in educating their children."
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