By AgeParents

Use Cleaners and Disinfectants Safely at Home

The Texas Poison Center Network (TPCN) has seen a 70% increase in calls related to cleaning products and disinfectants. We remind residents of the importance of proper use and handling of cleaning products and disinfectants during the COVID-19 pandemic.…

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Keeping Your Family Safe Around Medicine

Today there are more medicines in the home than ever before, and this increases the potential risk to children of accidental medicine poisoning.   Every year, more than 59,000 young children are seen in emergency rooms because they got into medicine while a caregiver wasn’t looking.  Almost every minute of...

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Button Batteries…They Look Innocent

Many toys and electronics are powered by small disc batteries.  These batteries are often accidentally swallowed by small children, and sometimes adults.  Every year in the United States, more than 3,500 people of all ages swallow these miniature disc or “button batteries”.  A study of 2,382 cases of battery...

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The Dangers of Fentanyl

Many questions still remain about the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of Prince in April 2016. However, a report released by the Midwest Medical Examiner’s office concluded that the singer died from an overdose of the opioid fentanyl. Fentanyl is a potent, synthetic opioid analgesic, with a rapid onset and...

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Child-Resistant is NOT Child-Proof

It seems as though those hard-to-open bottles have been around forever. And for new parents today, they have. But what is the reason and history behind the child-resistant packages? Back to the 1960s children were dying from poisonings in large numbers. The country developed an education program to warn parents...

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Don’t Google…Just Call!

Isn’t technology great!  We’ve become a technology-based society. If we want to go someplace, we use a GPS device instead of finding a map. Our music is played on devices that fit in the palm of your hand. If we need to look up a definition of a word,...

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The Curiosity of an Infant: Poison Dangers

A new study raises awareness of the dangers of unintentional exposure to poisons for babies 6 months and younger. Traditionally, this has not been an age group that poison center educators have focused on, because infants aren’t up and walking about. But while a young baby may be less mobile,...

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The Dangers of Flakka

Use of a dangerous synthetic cathinone drug called alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (alpha-PDP), popularly known as “Flakka,” is surging in Florida and is also being reported in other parts of the country, according to news reports. In some parts of the country, it is also called “gravel” because of its white crystal...

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Venomous Animals of Texas

A venomous animal is one that produces a poison (venom) to attack its prey or defend itself. Some animal’s venom is more toxic than others. People, who have an encounter with these animals, have varied reactions to their venom. Click here to download the document and read more.

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Who Do I Call If I Think Someone Has Been Poisoned?

According to the CDC, poisoning is the No. 1 cause of injury death in the U. S., with most deaths happening due to drug and medicine misuse and abuse. More than 3.1 million calls were received by poison centers last year. Anyone can call. Poison centers aren’t just for parents...

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