Poison Prevention
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Poisons can hurt you - or even kill you - if you eat, drink, breathe, or get them in your eyes or on your skin. Thousands of children in Texas are accidentally poisoned each year. Many swallow medicines, polishes, drain cleaners, insecticides, antifreeze, and other household and garage products. Any non-food item is a potential poison. Poisonings may occur when there is illness in the family, when you are cooking a meal, when your family is moving, when there is family tension, when there is a guest in your home, when children are hungry or tired, when you are on a trip or school vacation, or anytime. Making sure children are not exposed to potentially toxic substances is the best way to prevent accidental poisonings.
Follow these checklist rules so that you can do your part in preventing accidental poisonings in your home.
HOME SAFETY
General Storage
- Keep all products in original containers.
- Store sprays, fingernail solutions, hair care products, mouthwash, perfumes, cosmetics, powders, sachets, etc, out of reach of children.
- Never store food and household cleaners together.
- Install child safety latches on all drawers and cabinets containing harmful products.
- Anticipate your child's curiosity and skills. Remove household products such as detergents and drain cleaners from under the sink.
- Keep bleaches, soaps, cleaners, fabric softeners, bluing agents, and sprays out of reach of children.
- Store pesticides, gasoline, turpentine, paints, paint products, car products, and garage products out of reach and out of sight of children. Lock up these products.
- Never transfer products like bleach, gasoline, insecticides or other cleaning agents to containers such as a soft drink bottle, cup or bowl that would attract a child or pet.
- Keep alcoholic beverages out of reach of children.
- Empty ashtrays and keep them out of reach of children.
- Keep paint in good condition.
- Buy potentially poisonous products only when needed and in the amount required for the job.
- Always prepare and use products according to label directions.
KITCHEN
- Never store food and household cleaners together.
- Avoid keeping medicines on counter tops or easy to reach areas.
- Do not store medicines in the refrigerator door. Put them out of sight of children
- Anticipate your child's curiosity and skills. If you have a crawling infant, keep household products stored above the floor level, not beneath the kitchen sink.
- Request safety-lock tops on all prescription drugs.
- Regularly clean out the medicine cabinet
- Keep all products and medicines in original containers.
- Do not take medicines in front of your child. Children love to imitate their parents.
- Never call medicine "candy."
- If you wear glasses, put them on to read the label before giving medicine.
- Never give medicine that is not labeled for the person or is not labeled at all.
- Never give medicine in the dark.
- If you are interrupted while using a medicine or household product, take it or the child with you. It only takes a few seconds for your child to get into it.
- Store medicines, sprays, fingernail solutions, hair-care products, cosmetics, mouthwash, etc, out of reach.
- Avoid keeping medicines in or on bedside tables.
- Keep perfumes, cosmetics, powders and sachets out of reach.
- Keep bleaches, soaps, detergents, fabric softeners, bluing agents and sprays out of reach.
- Store products in original containers.
GARAGE/SHED/BARN
- Store pesticides, gasoline, turpentine, paints, paint products and car products in a locked area.
- Keep all products in original containers.
- Keep household cleaners, bug sprays, medicines and garage products out of reach and out of sight of children. Lock up these products.
- Never transfer products like bleach, gasoline, insecticides or other household cleaning agents to another container such as a soft drink bottle, cup or bowl that would attract a child or pet.
- Keep alcoholic beverages out of reach.
- Empty ashtrays and keep them out of reach.
- Place household plants out of reach.
- Keep paint in good repair.
- Buy potentially poisonous products only when needed and in the amount required for the job.
- Always prepare and use products according to label directions.
- Be alert for repeat poisoning. A child who has swallowed a poison is more likely to become poisoned again within a year.
- Read the label before buying or using these products and follow the directions.
- Do not apply more than the specified amount.
- Keep pesticides away from food and dishes
- Do not smoke while spraying.
- Keep children and pets away from sprayed areas 24-48 hours.
- Avoid breathing fumes.
- Never spray outdoors on a windy day.
- Lock up chemicals in their original containers with proper labels.
PLANT SAFETY
- Teach children never to put leaves, stems, bark, seed, nuts, flowers or berries into their mouth.
- Know the botanical name of house and yard plants and trees.
- Keep poisonous house plants out of reach of young children.
- Never eat a wild plant or mushroom unless you are positive it is safe.
- Do not assume a plant is safe because birds or other wildlife eat it.
- Cooking may not destroy toxic chemicals in plants.
- Store bulbs and seeds out of sight and out of reach of children.
CARBON MONOXIDE SAFETY
- Have heating systems inspected annually
- Service gas, oil or kerosene space heaters annually. Allow for good ventilation when in use.
- Do not use ovens and grills as heat sources.
- Do not idle automobiles in a garage or enclosed area.
- Obtain battery back-up carbon monoxide alarms for the home and place near sleeping areas.
- If exposure is expected, get to fresh air immediately.
BIOLOGICAL OR CHEMICAL POISONINGS
- Remain calm. Don't panic
- Remember most chemical and biological agents have effective treatment.
- If you are inside and the event is outside, stay indoors and turn off all ventilation, close windows and doors.
- If you are inside and the event is inside, move quickly outside; cover all exposed skin, your mouth and nose.
- If you are outside and the event is outside, cover all exposed skin, your nose and mouth.
- Protect yourself before approaching a victim.
Substances Most Frequently Involved In Human Exposures
- Medications
- Cleaning Products
- Cosmetics and Personal Care Items
- Foreign Bodies
- Bites/envenimations
- Pesticides
- Plants
Although Carbon Monoxide is not one of the
substances most frequently involved in human exposures, it does
KILL more people than any other poison