November 12, 2013

Contact: NCL Communications, Ben Klein, (202) 835-3323, benk@nclnet.org

Washington, DC–The National Consumers League (NCL) is deeply saddened to learn of the death of U. Roberto Romano—Robin—to his many friends. Robin passed away on November 1st, after a brief illness and a longer battle against Lyme disease. Robin was a distinguished filmmaker and photographer who captured images of child labor that were used by advocacy groups around the world, including the Child Labor Coalition (CLC), which is co-chaired by NCL.

Robin’s films child labor films include “Stolen Childhoods” (co-directed by fellow CLC member Len Morris), a film that highlighted the worst forms of child labor around the world, “The Darker Side of Chocolate” and “Shady Chocolate” (both co-directed by Miki Mistrati), which unmasked child slavery and child trafficking in West Africa’s cocoa farms, and “The Harvest/La Cosecha,” a deeply emotional film revealing the plight of child farmworkers in the United States. His impressive body of film work, coupled with the thousands of child labor photographs he took, provided the child labor advocacy community with great tools to raise awareness about child labor within the U.S. and abroad.

“Robin Romano cannot be replaced. His contributions to child labor advocacy have made a profound difference in the Child Labor Coalition’s work; he also worked collaboratively with several CLC members—groups like GoodWeave, the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs, and the International Labor Rights Forum—fighting to protect children from the worst forms of child labor around the world,” said Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of NCL and CLC co-chair.

“I had the pleasure of helping Robin on a film shoot and have worked with him for over a decade,” said CLC Coordinator Reid Maki. “He was indefatigable—a whirlwind of activity, shooting video and stills with several cameras around his neck, determined to capture perfect images. Robin was also an active and passionate participant in our CLC strategy sessions aimed at reducing the worst forms of child labor. His wonderful sense of humor combined with focused outrage to made him a formidable warrior in the fight to protect children. It is hard to imagine how we will move forward without him.”

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit https://nclnet.org.

About the Child Labor Coalition

The Child Labor Coalition is comprised of 30 organizations, representing consumers, labor unions, educators, human rights and labor rights groups, child advocacy groups, and religious groups. It was established in 1989, and is co-chaired by the National Consumers League and the American Federation of Teachers. Its mission is to protect working youth and to promote legislation, programs, and initiatives to end child labor exploitation in the United States and abroad. For more information, please call CLC Coordinator Reid Maki at (202) 207-2820 [reidm@nclnet.org].

November 8, 2013

Contact: NCL Communications, Ben Klein, (202) 835-3323, benk@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—The nation’s pioneering consumer / worker advocacy group today is heralding the election results of minimum wage-related ballot initiatives in states across the country as a positive sign for the living wage movement that is gaining momentum nationwide. The National Consumers League (NCL), the 114-year-old consumer and worker advocacy group founded during the Progressive Era, is today celebrating victories in New Jersey and the Seattle metro area—some confirmed by election results, others too close to call—that will increase the pay of minimum wage workers.

In New Jersey, a state constitutional amendment that passed yesterday, will now tie automatic minimum wage increases to inflation rates and raises the state minimum wage from the federally mandated $7.25 to $8.25, putting it on par with more progressive areas including the District of Columbia.

In the Seattle area, where votes will continue to be counted until mail-in ballots are received, a SeaTac ballot measure would raise the minimum wage of hospitality and transportation workers in and around the Seattle-Tacoma airport to $15 an hour. The current minimum wage in Washington is $9.19 – the state rate highest in the nation – with a raise scheduled for implementation on January 1, 2014 to $9.32. The results of SeaTac’s ballot measure are still too close to call, but passage would ensure benefits such as paid sick days and tip protection from wage theft. It would also require employers to offer additional hours to part-time workers before hiring new staff and to retain existing employees for at least a 3-month period following a change in ownership.

“These results show that there is strong popular support for raising the wages and living standards of the nation’s lowest paid workers,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director. “All the scare tactics of big business—like threats that businesses will not survive the wage hike or that consumer prices will sharply escalate—didn’t win the day. We’re proud of the voters and their support for raising the standard of living for those at the bottom of the economic ladder.”

NCL has a long history of supporting the interests of workers and consumers since its founding in 1899, and NCL’s first General Secretary, Florence Kelley, wrote the first state minimum wage laws in the United States. This fall, it supported a movement in the District of Columbia, where it is headquartered, to implement the Large Retailer Accountability Act (LRAA) or Livable Wage Act, to require DC retailers whose parent companies do more than $1 billion in sales annually to pay their employees the DC living wage and benefits of $12.50 an hour. The LRAA was passed by City Council but ultimately vetoed by Mayor Vincent Gray.

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

November 1, 2013

Contact: NCL Communications, Ben Klein, (202) 835-3323, benk@nclnet.org

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League today applauded the confirmation of Thomas Wheeler and Michael O’Rielly as Chairman and Commissioner, respectively, of the Federal Communications Commission. The following statement is attributable to Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director:

“The nation’s consumers are better protected by a full slate of Commissioners at the FCC. As Chairman Wheeler and Commissioner O’Rielly prepare to take up their charge, we urge them to keep consumers — first and foremost — in their minds as they take up the crucial issues currently before the Commission. America’s consumers, particularly those with low incomes and in rural areas, also owe a debt of gratitude to acting Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn who has led the Commission ably for the past seven months.”

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

October 11, 2013

Washington, DC – A coalition of leading consumer groups today sent a letter to Members of Congress calling out the lapses in consumer protection caused by the ongoing government shutdown.

The letter highlights how the shutdown has hindered work across a wide array of issues, including airline and auto safety, food and product safety, financial services and investor protections, as well consumer protection efforts at the EPA, FCC, FDA and FTC. Consumers Union, Consumer Federation of America, National Consumers League, Consumer Action, National Consumer Law Center on behalf of its low-income clients, Public Citizen, National Association of Consumer Advocates, and US PIRG signed on to the piece calling for an end to the impasse.

The groups write, “Consumers rely on the government to ensure the safety of the food they eat, the air they breathe, the products they use, the cars they drive, and the planes on which they fly.  Consumers also expect that the government will help to protect them from predatory financial schemes, fraud and scams.  Many of these consumer protections have been significantly curtailed as a result of the shutdown…We urge a speedy resolution of the shutdown so that the government can resume its critical role on behalf of all consumers.”

Rachel Weintraub, Legislative Director and Senior Counsel for Consumer Federation of America, will present these concerns in testimony at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing examining the impacts of the government shutdown on our economic security. The hearing is scheduled to take place Friday at 1 pm.

The full text of the letter is below:

October 11, 2013

Dear Member of Congress:

As the government shutdown continues, a coalition of consumer organizations has compiled information about how the shutdown is affecting the safety and wellbeing of millions of American consumers.  We are sharing this document with you today.

Consumers rely on the government to ensure the safety of the food they eat, the air they breathe, the products they use, the cars they drive, and the planes on which they fly.  Consumers also expect that the government will help to protect them from predatory financial schemes, fraud and scams.  Many of these consumer protections have been significantly curtailed as a result of the shutdown. 

Airline Safety

At the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), 15,514 of 46,070 employees (34%) have been furloughed.  Air traffic controllers and baggage screeners are considered essential and are on the job so air travel continues.  However, most of the staff that supports the air traffic controllers are on furlough.  Virtually the entire safety inspection force has been sent home, with only one manager at every office across the country left to answer the phones.  This is unprecedented in U.S. aviation history; even during the 1996 government shutdown, most safety inspectors remained on the job.  Earlier this week, FAA announced plans to bring back 800 inspectors, oversight staff, and others. But that is only about 15% of the FAA’s furloughed airline safety personnel.

Food Safety

During the shutdown, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has retained about 55% of its staff.  According to the Health and Human Services’ shutdown plan: “FDA will be unable to support the majority of its food safety, nutrition, and cosmetics activities.”  This means that FDA will not conduct routine food safety inspections, some compliance and enforcement activities and will not be monitoring imports.  Much of the laboratory and scientific research necessary to inform public health decision-making also will not be conducted.   

Most Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspectors of meat and poultry continue to work.  The USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service will continue manning every meat production facility with full-time inspectors.  However, a meat and poultry hot line consumers can call for information about food safety or to report problems is closed.  The agency has said that “A lengthy hiatus would affect the safety of human life and have serious adverse effects on the industry, the consumer and the Agency.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has 68% of its staff furloughed, which means that CDC is at significantly reduced capacity to identify and respond to foodborne illness outbreaks, and is unable to support state and local partners in disease surveillance. PulseNet, CDC’s national network of public health laboratories that detects multi-state food-borne illness outbreaks was non-functioning as a result of the shutdown.  This hampered CDC’s capacity to track the recent Salmonella outbreak linked to poultry that sickened close to 300 people.  The employees who run PulseNet are now back to work since the CDC determined that PulseNet was vital to protecting the public from “imminent threats.”  Still, consultation with states and laboratory work to link outbreaks that might cross state borders will remain at reduced capacity during the shutdown.

Environment

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) furloughed 96% or 16,205 employees, leaving 613 workers on the job.  Most EPA operations have come to a halt.  EPA programs to protect public health, air quality, and safe drinking water and to regulate pesticides and pollution are mainly longer-term in nature and therefore are not considered essential to prevent imminent risk to human health.  Clean up at 505 Superfund sites (property contaminated by toxic chemicals) in 47 states has been suspended. Some laboratory staff continues to work as are emergency responders (responding to environmental emergencies). Some limited enforcement activities continue, but with skeletal staff.  

EPA’s Energy Star program for certifying energy efficient appliances and electronics is currently closed.  EPA also will not be updating its fuel economy website with new vehicle fuel-economy ratings.  The consequence is that there will be no EPA oversight of the accuracy of new fuel economy ratings until the government reopens.  

Financial Services/Investor Protections

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) are both funded through the appropriations process and thus, are directly affected by the shutdown.  The CFTC, which oversees the commodities market and the bulk of the derivatives market, was immediately forced to furlough the vast majority of its 700 employees, leaving only 28 employees working at the agency.  This comes at a time when both agencies are struggling under enormous workloads to implement the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and, in the case of the SEC, the JOBS Act.  That process has virtually ground to a halt at the CFTC, where key rules to protect against risks in the derivatives market were just beginning to take effect.  The shutdown also leaves the CFTC with only a handful of people to police the markets for fraud and manipulation, less than 5 of the 50 individuals who normally perform this function.  The SEC has reported that it has enough carry-over funding to allow it to operate essentially normally for “a few weeks.”  But that funding will run out if the shutdown continues for an extended period of time. 

The Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) are self-funded and not subject to the appropriations process.  All will remain open and operational.  Since the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is funded through the Federal Reserve, it will also remain open and operational. 

In addition, education loan borrowers who have a dispute with their loan servicer (or debt collector) will have a hard time resolving the dispute because the Department of Education’s ombudsman’s office is mostly shutdown.  

Product Safety

Four percent of the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) total workforce remains on the job – that translates into 23 employees (including 5 commissioners) out of 540 full-time employees.  None of the employees currently working are field investigators or port inspectors.  The CPSC is conducting only business that “protects against imminent threats to human safety, and protect government property” and rulemakings, recalls, and civil penalty negotiations are suspended unless they rise to this level of threat.  Saferproducts.gov, CPSC’s consumer incident data base, is receiving reports but will not be publishing them thereby denying consumers the opportunity to learn about potentially dangerous products.

Two terrible examples bring home the impact of the shutdown on the CPSC’s ability to do its critical safety work.  Last Monday, a two year old girl in San Diego, California was killed when a chest of drawers with a television on top of it tipped over and fell on her, crushing her to death.  A one-year-old boy from Hitterdal, Minnesota, swallowed part of a laundry pod last week and has been hospitalized due to his injuries.  He was just moved out of intensive care and is breathing on his own.  However, CPSC is unable to investigate these serious incidents and is unable to work to educate consumers about how to avoid these serious and preventable safety hazards.

Auto Safety

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) furloughed 333 workers out of a total of 597.  As a result, NHTSA is not able to alert consumers about recalls.  Rulemakings, defect investigations, research, and testing is also on hold. NHTSA’s web site states that “Due to a lapse of Federal Government funding, NHTSA is unable process safety defect complaints after close of business September 30, 2013.  Consumers can continue to file complaints via this website, but they will not be evaluated by NHTSA staff until funding and services are restored.” Activities funded by the Highway Trust Fund will continue.  These activities include occupant protection and distracted driving research and development under the office of Traffic Injury Control. Any auto safety defects that emerge during the shutdown will not be investigated properly, leaving consumers and our highways at risk.

Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice

Less than 20% of Federal Trade Commission (FTC) employees (approximately 241 of its 1,178 workers) are exempt from furloughs.   Employees responsible for protecting life and property through the prosecution of enforcement actions are working. Most legal actions have been stayed; for those few cases where the court has not granted stays, agency work continues.  However, the agency expects no rulemakings during the shutdown, and staffers overseeing the Do Not Call registry, Consumer Response Center, and spam database have suspended work.  Consumers who are identity theft victims cannot access information that the FTC provides about the steps they should take or how to report the problem.

The FTC’s website is not functional—on the FTC’s home page, it states, “Unfortunately, the Federal Trade Commission is closed due to the government shutdown: the FTC Premerger Notification Office will be open to accept HSR filings; consumers may file FOlA requests, but they will not be processed; consumers cannot file complaints or register for Do Not Call; all public workshops, roundtables, hearings and conferences are postponed until further notice.” 

The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division is similarly affected.  Sixty-three percent of its workforce has been furloughed.  That could significantly impair its merger enforcement activities, including its pending challenge to the American Airlines/US Airways merger, and other important enforcement activities that protect consumers against harm from anticompetitive business conduct.

Housing Finance

The mortgage market is operated primarily by nongovernmental entities in the private sector, but the shutdown is having an impact in this area.  Mortgage loans may be delayed because the Internal Revenue Service (impacted by the shutdown) is not in a position to verify income for borrowers.  In addition, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is operating with only a skeleton staff and is unable to do full quality control reviews of loans receiving FHA mortgage insurance through delegated underwriters.  Over time, this could reduce the quality of the FHA portfolio and lead to higher losses for the insurance fund.

In the affordable rental housing field, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has funded current contracts with public housing agencies to provide rental subsidies for very low income renters.  But very shortly current funding will expire, and agencies responsible for paying landlords on behalf of very low income tenants or for directly operating housing for such tenants may be unable to meet their obligations.  Assistance for homeless families and single individuals, typically provided by private, nonprofit operators using federal funds, is also at risk if the shutdown extends further.  Similarly, affordable housing developers are reporting that projects in their pipeline are on hold because officials at HUD and USDA’s Rural Housing Service are unable to respond to questions, process applications for assistance, or sign off on proposed or final development deals. 

Drug Safety and Medical Devices

The FDA is partly funded by user fees, which are paid by pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers.  Some activities related to the user-fee funded programs, such as product approvals and safety communications for drugs and devices, will continue.  About 75% of the FDA staffers who have been retained have jobs that are funded by user fees.  Nevertheless, FDA’s own website acknowledges that the agency “cannot predict whether we will experience delays in (the programs under the law overseeing drug testing and safety) in the event of a protracted lapse in appropriations.”  The website goes on to say that with regard to medical devices, “certain review activities…may be suspended during the lapse period.”

Energy

The Department of Energy (DOE) has furloughed approximately 69% of its personnel (9,595 furloughs out of 13,814.)  DOE has some multi-year appropriations that will continue to be spent until they run out, but most DOE programs, including research and renewable energy projects, will not be able to operate for very long.  Important efficiency rules related to televisions, furnace fans, and other appliances, which will save consumers millions of dollars, could be delayed because they cannot be published in the Federal Register until the government reopens.

Health/Social Security

The health insurance exchanges are open, and implementation of the American Affordable Care Act proceeds.  Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits are being paid, but new applications may not be processed until the government reopens.  Depending on the length of the shutdown, payments to Medicare providers may be affected.

Telecommunications

According to the FCC’s shutdown plan, approximately 30 FCC employees – or less than 2% of its approximately 1750+ employees – have been deemed essential and exempt from the furlough.  Among those deemed essential are the three Commissioners (though not their legal advisors), the inspector general, and a small number of employees who are tasked with critical functions such as the protection of life and property, disaster response operations, and integral national security functions.  However, some of the FCC activities that will cease under the shutdown include: merger reviews, responses to consumer complaints, consumer protection, local competition enforcement, licensing of broadcast, wireless, and management of radio spectrum, and equipment authorizations (which bring new electronic devices to the American public).  Work has been delayed on the highly anticipated spectrum auctions and could affect the timing of the first of these auctions, which were supposed to take place in January.  Finally, the FCC has ceased maintaining its online systems, leaving the public unable to access the resources, public comments, and consumer education materials available on its website.

We urge a speedy resolution of the shutdown so that the government can resume its critical role on behalf of all consumers.

Feel free to contact Rachel Weintraub with Consumer Federation of America at rweintraub@consumerfed.org or (202) 387-6121 or Ellen Bloom with Consumers Union at ebloom@consumer.org or (202) 462-6262 for further information.

Sincerely,
Consumers Union
Consumer Federation of America
National Consumers League
Consumer Action
National Consumer Law Center, on behalf of its low-income clients
Public Citizen
National Association of Consumer Advocates
US PIRG

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

October 10, 2013

Contact: Ben Klein, NCL Communications, 202-835-3323, benk@nclnet.org

Washington, DC — According to the nation’s pioneering consumer advocacy group, the National Consumers League (NCL), use of over-the-counter (OTC) medications to relieve pain, cold and flu symptoms, and allergies among American teenagers is widespread but often uninformed. The Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization today is launching a national multi-media campaign aimed at educating teens and young adults about the risks of misusing OTC pain medications.

“When it comes to safety and health, teens often think they know more than they actually do,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director. “We have found teens as young as 13 years old, uninformed and self-medicating with OTC medications. And, while many teens do look to their parents and other adults for counsel and instruction about using OTC medications, many adult consumers aren’t properly using the medications themselves, setting a bad example for their children, and putting themselves at risk of serious health consequences.”

Today NCL is launching TakeWithCare.org, an interactive site for teens to educate about the safe use of OTC pain medications. TakeWithCare addresses some of the most common misconceptions about the safety of the medications: the importance of reading and following labels, taking the labeled dose and consulting with parents and health care professionals. NCL has also created new OTC safety curriculum for its LifeSmarts program, a national consumer education competition and in-classroom aid for middle and high school students, and is today releasing the research about teen use of OTC medications that was used in the development of the new site.

Over-the-counter pain medications containing acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are among the most commonly used drugs in the United States, yet also pose dangers when misused. Taking more than the recommended amount can cause liver damage (in the case of acetaminophen) and stomach bleeding (in the case of NSAIDs). According to the Food and Drug Administration, many cases of overdose are caused by patients inadvertently taking more than the recommended dose of a particular product, taking multiple medicines containing the same active ingredients, or by taking both OTC and prescription versions concurrently.

Research commissioned by NCL has found that Americans, young and old, are in need of education on the safe use of OTC pain medication, and it was this research that drove the organization to produce the new educational campaign. The 2009 Harris Interactive survey conducted online among both teens aged 13 to 17 and adults aged 18 and older, found that nearly as many American teenagers (75 percent) as adults (84%) have used OTC pain medications  in the past year. Nearly two in three of teen respondents (64%) said they have used an OTC pain medication in the last six months, most commonly for headaches, sports or exercise-related pain and muscle aches, or menstrual pain. More than two-thirds (69%) of teen OTC pain medication users consult with their parent(s) before taking the OTC pain medication. The survey found a substantial percentage of teens are using the medicines regularly: Incidence of use of OTC pain medications daily or several times per week is 15 percent among 13- to 15-year-olds, and 21 percent of 16- and 17-year-olds report using OTC pain medications at least several times a week.

Despite how widespread it is, their usage behavior is not flawless: one-quarter of teen OTC pain medication users reported having taken the next dose sooner than directed, expecting more frequent usage to result in better relief. Also alarming to the consumer group, is the finding that many teens taking the medications often do so without awareness of the products’ active ingredients. Only one in four (27%) teens said they knew what the active ingredient is in their most-often used OTC pain medication. This number is lower than among adults, 56% of adults saying they knew the active ingredient in their most often used OTC pain medication.

“If you aren’t aware of exactly what’s in the product you’re taking – whether it’s a pain reliever, cough suppressant, fever reducer, sinus medication, or something else, you’re putting yourself at risk for doubling-up on the same active ingredient and exposing your body to the potential harm caused by that overdosing,” said Greenberg. “Many consumers self-treating pain, cold or flu symptoms may turn to more than one product, often multi-ingredient, without realizing that they’re putting themselves at potential risk of stomach or liver problems.”

“The opportunity to educate teens about proper OTC pain medication use exists when they are young and have the potential to form better habits than their adult counterparts,” said Rebecca Burkholder, NCL Vice President for Health Policy. “As teens age and enter adulthood, they are using OTC pain medications more frequently and with increasingly less adult supervision. While we were pleased to see that the majority of teens are consulting a parent or guardian about such medication use, the goal of Take With Care is to instill good habits across the board.”

Survey Highlights

Use without confidence

Although the majority of teens self report having used OTC pain medications recently, overall, teens lack knowledge about OTC pain medications. In addition, there is little awareness of the active ingredients in their pain medications and they lack familiarity with acetaminophen.

• Nearly two-thirds of teens (64%) have used OTC pain medications in the past six months. However, nearly three-quarters (73%) of teen OTC pain medications do not know or are not sure of the main active ingredient in the OTC pain medication they take most frequently. For example, fewer than one-fifth of teens (16%) are very or fairly familiar with the active ingredient acetaminophen. One-third of teens (33%) do not believe acetaminophen is sold under the brand Tylenol™, a concern to advocates given that Tylenol is one of the most well-known brands containing acetaminophen.

Dangers of mixing products

• Despite the fact that nearly half of teens indicate some uncertainty about the safety of using two products that contain acetaminophen at the same time, some teen OTC pain medication users are using OTC pain medications and other medications concurrently, a practice advocates and government health experts strongly caution against.
• Nearly half of teens (48%) are unsure as to whether it is safe to take two products containing acetaminophen at the same time.
• Nearly half of teens (44%) are unsure if it is okay to take OTC PMs while taking an OTC product for cold or sinus conditions, and 18 percent of teen OTC PM users have taken an OTC PMs with an OTC for cold or flu.
• While use of prescription painkillers among teens is low (10%), nearly all teen respondents were unable to correctly identify APAP as the prescription abbreviation for acetaminophen. As their adult counterparts demonstrated a tendency to use prescription and OTC painkillers concurrently (44% had reported doing so), advocates are strongly concerned about teens’ ability to identify what they are taking in order to avoid overdose.

Overuse

Teens admit they are using OTC PMs other than directed on the label.

• One-quarter (24%) of teen OTC PM users report they have taken the next dose sooner than directed; 15% report they have taken more pills at a single time or more than the number of doses per day as directed on the label (7%).
• Nearly one third (32%) of teens think that it is either not possible (9%) or are not sure (23%) that one can  overdose on OTC

Parental influence

Most young people rely most heavily on parental guidance when it comes to making health decisions including taking OTC PMs, which, on the surface seems wise, but could pose risks, considering the poor self-reported habits of some of the adults surveyed.

• • Two-thirds (66%) of teens report their parent(s) influence them the most when it comes to making decisions about their health.
  • More than two-thirds (69%) of teen OTC PM users consult with their parent(s) before taking the OTC PM.
  • In general, a relatively small but significant number of teens say they would take OTC medicines without first consulting with a parent (22% say they never or rarely consult a parent) and only 39% say they always check with a parent. Older teens are less likely to consult a parent than younger teens.Only 4% of teens have consulted a healthcare professional always or often about information that was unclear to them on an OTC drug package.
  • 66% of teens say they are most influenced by parents in terms to decision about their health. 12% say other people (like friends, siblings, teachers) and 11% say doctors are the “most” influential.

Following (or not) the labels

Most teens say they read the directions on a new OTC PM, but other elements are read less often. Teens admit to not reading the labels every time they take the medications.

• Two-thirds of teens (63%) say they “always or often” read the directions the first time they take an OTC medication.
• Only one in four (28%) teens say they read the active ingredients the first time they take an OTC product, 44% say they never / rarely read this information
• Roughly half of teens (48 percent) say they always/often read the label information on warning and side effects

About the Survey

NCL commissioned this survey with an unrestricted educational grant from McNeil Consumer Healthcare.

This Knowledge of and Behavior Around Acetaminophen Use Survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of the National Consumers League between May 29. 2009 and June 11, 2009 among 536 youth, aged 13 to 17 and 1,731 adults aged 18 and older, with an oversample of 200 English-speaking Hispanic adults.

Complete survey results, fact sheets for consumers, and other resources are available at www.nclnet.org.

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About the National Consumers League
The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

About Harris Interactive^®
Harris Interactive is one of the world’s leading market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll® and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers proprietary solutions in the areas of market and customer insight, corporate brand and reputation strategy, and marketing, advertising, public relations and communications research. Serving clients in more than 196 countries and territories through our North American and European offices, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients—stay ahead of what’s next. For more information, please visit www.theharrispoll.com.