Poison Prevention Tips

Poison can be harmful or even kill; the poison can be eaten, breathed in, or gotten on the skin. Anyone can be a poison victim; infants to seniors. Safety is a basic human concern. However, many parents, grandparents, and children do not know how to stay safe from poisons. Children are naturally curious and they need to learn to identify poisons in order to stay safe. Parents and Grandparents want to keep their children safe, but in many instances, do not know how to keep children away from poisons or how to respond in a poison emergency.

Recent budget cuts earlier this year have decreased federal funding to the all 57 national Poison Control Centers. Education was the major item eliminated from the budget, meaning the poison centers no longer have an educational coordinator to present poison prevention and the end of the sending out information packets. Poison prevention education is an important factor to prevent poisoning in the home and to learn how to respond in a poison emergency.

Poison Prevention Tips

• An interesting fact is most poisoning exposures occur when the product is in use. Here are a few tips to help reduce the chance of a poison exposure in your home or work place.
• Store all household products and medicines out of reach and sight of small children and pets.
• Store all medications separately from household products and household chemicals away from food.
• Always read the label before using and follow the instructions on medicines, cleaners, pesticides, automotive, lawn and garden products for their proper use. Some of the first aid instructions on the product labels are often incorrect or dangerous.
• Never store potential poisons in containers used for eating and drinking. Store all potential poisons in their original, labeled containers. Leave the original labels on all products.
• Never refer to medicine as candy to a young child.
• Attempt to avoid taking medication in front of small children.
• Turn on a light when taking or giving a medication.
• When you are using household chemical products and medicine, never let them out of your sight, even if you must take them along when answering the telephone or doorbell.
• Clean out your medicine cabinet periodically.
• Use child resistant closures; nothing is really child proof but a deterrent.
• When in doubt call local Poison Control Center; 1-800-222-1222
• Have the Poison Control Center number by the home phone and progam the number nto cell phone as a favorite.

The Poison Control Center is staffed by trained professionals; nurses, pharmacists, and medical doctors specializing in Toxicology (Poisoning). The Poison Control Center focuses on human exposures but will also provide information about exposures to animals. The call is a free and confidential service provided by trained health care providers for poison exposures and prevention. The call could save an unnecessary expense of a trip to the emergency room.