Every Mr. Yuk® sticker contains the national toll-free poison help telephone number: 1-800-222-1222
In 1971, Mr. Yuk® was created by the Pittsburgh Poison Center. Since then, Mr. Yuk® has been used to educate children and adults about poison prevention and to promote poison center awareness. In addition, Mr. Yuk® has raised awareness that poison centers are available 24 hours-a-day, every day of the year to assist in the management of poisoning emergencies.
Last year alone the Pittsburgh Poison Center distributed several million Mr. Yuk® stickers. Americans have introduced him to children in Europe, Asia and Iceland. Corporations have placed his face on the product labels of hazardous materials, and publishing companies have used the symbol in textbooks and standardized texts to represent poisons. Mr. Yuk® was the first poison education symbol in the nation.
The Pittsburgh Poison Center answers calls 24 hours-a-day, seven days a week and serves nearly 6 million residents in 44 counties of Pennsylvania. The center receives approximately 150,000 calls each year. It also developed a hospital-based poison treatment system involving 70 hospitals in western Pennsylvania. Several national businesses and industrial corporations rely on the center for poison consultation. Poison Center staff are highly trained clinical toxicology nurse specialists.
