The third week in March is poison prevention week in the United States. Shockingly, more than two million poison exposures are reported to American poison control centers every year. More than 90% of these poisoning occur in the home. Sadly, a majority of these occur with children aged 5 years & younger.
With these numbers, it’s obvious that poison control in the home is a critical issue to talk about to keep our kiddies safe.
Common Toxins & Where to Find Them
The Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance has created this graphic which shows common toxins & where they are found. Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that is caused by asbestos. Hence why the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance is working hard to spread awareness of poisons this week.
Poison Prevention Tips
The American Association of Poison Controls has put together a checklist to make your home poison-proof:
If you think someone has been poisoned, call your poison control center right away. Don’t wait for any signs of poisoning because often there isn’t visible early signs.
Add the number for your poison control center in your mobile phone.
Keep medicines and household products* in their original containers & in a separate location, away from food & away from the reach of children.
Read the directions & ingredients of products before using them.
Keep household products locked up or out of the reach of children.
Never call medicines candy or sweets in order for the child to take it. It’s important they know medicine isn’t food or sweets to have whenever they like.
Have a working carbon monoxide alarm in your home.
Be safe when preparing food to avoid food poisoning.
*This is a list of the household items that should be stored away from children:
All medicines, vitamins & supplements.
Tobacco and e-cigarette products
Alcohol
Household, cleaning & laundry products
Pesticides & insect repellents
Button batteries
Any type of oil including fragrance oils, engine oil, etc.
Personal care products such as hand sanitizers
Other chemicals
Final Thoughts
With a few simple practices, the home can be made safe from poisons. With so many children affected from poisons in the home each year it’s an important topic to discuss. It only takes a few minutes to move products out of the reach of the kiddies.
Do you have any advice to add? I’d love to hear in the comments. x