The creator of the Mr. Yuk poisoning-prevention sticker in the 1970s, retired pediatrician Dr. Richard W. Moriarty, remains concerned about the safety and welfare of children nearly 50 years later.

Moriarty was honored by the city of Pittsburgh on his 80th birthday last week.

To help children learn to avoid ingesting poisons, Moriarty, a clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, created the Mr. Yuk sticker in 1971. He also founded the Pittsburgh Poison Control Center in 1973.

The Mr. Yuk symbol stands with Smokey Bear and McGruff the Crime Dog as the best-known public education mascots of the 20th century.

Mr. Yuk has warned generations of children away from the harmful chemicals in their homes.

Research shows that three out of four Americans can recognize Mr. Yuk, and by 1979, more than 50 million Mr. Yuk stickers had been distributed around the nation.

Children younger than 6 years old comprise nearly half of poison exposures (45.2 percent), according to the U.S. Poison Control Center. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says two children die each day in the United States as a result of being poisoned.

Mr. Yuk stickers have dropped out of favor in recent years. Many critics say the stickers actually draw children to the poisons of which they are warning them.

“We never claimed it will prevent poisoning,” Moriarty told a Pittsburgh newspaper recently, but added the stickers informed adults who to call in case of emergency.

Ultimately, the most effective route is to simply keep harmful chemicals in an inaccessible place to begin with.

Moriarty retired from UPMC in 1989, but continues to advocate for children.

His concerns vary from climate change and gun violence to the resistance to vaccines by parents and the use of e-cigarettes by young people.

His efforts have saved many lives, and even today he has the best interests of children at heart.

Mr. Yuk