Poison Prevention Guide

Here are preventive measures to reduce the risk of your child being poisoned in your home. This information comes from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Here's what every parent should know.

Q: If my child eats or drinks a substance that might be a poison, where can I find information on treatment?

A: If you suspect poisoning, call your poison control center immediately. Call 1-800-222-1222, which routes your call to the nearest poison control center available. Keep this number on your phone. About 100 poison control centers in the United States keep information for doctors and the public on what to do for the ingestion of household products and medicines.

Q:What if my child is very sick, has trouble breathing, or appears in danger after suspected poisoning?

A:Call 911 if you have a poison emergency and the victim has collapsed or is not breathing. If the victim is awake and alert, dial 1-800-222-1222. Try to have this information ready:

• the victim's age and weight
• the container or bottle of the poison if available
• the time of the poison exposure
• the address where the poisoning occurred

Stay on the phone and follow the instructions from the emergency operator or poison control center.

Q: If I find my child playing with a bottle of medicine or some household product, how can I tell if the substance was swallowed and what should I do?

A: Reactions vary depending on the product. Sometimes the child may vomit, or may seem drowsy or sluggish. Some substances may remain around the child's mouth and teeth. Burns may be around the lips or mouth, or you might smell the product on the child's breath. If a household chemical has been ingested, get medical advice from a poison control center or a doctor even if you just suspect your child ingested a potentially hazardous product. Call your poison control center, emergency department or physician. Keep these numbers by your phone.

Q: Are there some first aid measures I can take when an ingestion takes place?

A: Stay calm. Not all medicines and household chemicals are poisonous and not all exposures necessarily poison your child. For medicines and household products, first call the poison control center, doctor or emergency number (911 in most areas). If it was a product, follow the first aid directions on the label after you call. Remember to keep emergency numbers near the phone before a crisis arises. When you contact the poison control center or other emergency personnel, give the facts (described below) to the expert. Have the label ready when you call. The label gives information about the product's contents and advice on first aid. Tell the expert:

• The victim's age.



• The victim's weight.



• Existing health conditions or problems.



• The substance involved and how it contacted the child. For example, was it swallowed, inhaled, absorbed through skin contact or splashed into the eyes?



• Any first aid which may have been given.



• If the child has vomited.



• Your location and how long it will take you to get to the hospital.

If medicine was swallowed, do not give anything by mouth unless advised by the poison control center. If the child has swallowed something that is not food or medicine, call the Poison Control Center and give the child a small amount of milk or water.

Q: Should I use syrup of ipecac?

A: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that parents no longer keep syrup of ipecac in the house or give it to children. If you have syrup of ipecac at home, you are advised to flush it down the toilet.

Q: Are there any good housekeeping rules I can use to prevent poisonings?

A: Here is list of 10 rules you should follow at all times:

1. Keep all household chemical products and medicines (especially iron pills and food supplements containing iron) out of sight of children and, preferably, locked up. Young children can easily get to medicines and household chemicals on kitchen counters or bathroom surfaces.

2. When these products are used, never let young children out of your sight even if you must take them along when answering the telephone or the doorbell.

3. Store all medicines separately from household products, and store all household chemical products away from food.

4. Keep items in their original containers.

5. Leave the original labels on all products, and read the label before using.

6. Always leave the light on when giving or taking medicines.

7. Avoid taking medicines in front of children because they tend to imitate grown-ups.

8. Refer to medicine as "medicine" not "candy."

9. Clean out the medicine cabinet periodically, and safely dispose of unneeded medicines when the illness for which they were prescribed is over. Pour contents down drain or toilet, and rinse container before discarding.

10. Finally, use child-resistant packaging properly by closing the container securely after use.

Q. What can consumers do to protect children from pesticide-related poisonings?

A. A survey by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding pesticide use in and around the home revealed almost half of all households with children younger than 5 had at least one pesticide stored in an unlocked cabinet, and less than 4 feet off the ground within reach of children. The survey also found 75 percent of households without children younger than 5 also stored one pesticide within reach of children. This number is especially significant because 13 percent of all pesticide poisonings occur in homes other than the child's. Adults should take the following steps to safeguard children from exposures to pesticides:

1. Always store pesticides away from children's reach in a locked cabinet or locked garden shed.



2. Read the label first, and follow the directions to the letter, including all precautions and restrictions.



3. Before applying pesticides (indoors and outdoors), remove children, their toys and pets from the area and keep them away until it is dry or as recommended by the label.



4. Never leave pesticides unattended when you are using them not even for a few minutes.



5. Never transfer pesticides to other containers that children may associate certain containers with food or drink.



6. Use child-resistant packaging properly by closing the container tightly after use.



7. Alert others to the potential hazard, especially grandparents and caregivers.

Q. Where can I get more information on preventing poisonings?

A. See the "List of Materials" for available resources and their sources of supply. The list can be obtained from www.poisonprevention.org.

Protecting your child from poisoning

Children ages 1 to 3 are at the highest risk.

Young children may put anything in their mouths. This is part of learning. Many household products can be poisonous if swallowed, if in contact with the skin or eyes, or if inhaled.

Common examples

Medicines: Aspirin, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, iron pills

Household products: Mothballs, furniture polish, drain cleaners, weed killers, insect or rat poisons, lye, paint thinners, bleach, cosmetics

Safety rules

• Keep harmful products out of your child's sight and reach.



• Take extra care during stressful times.



• Never call medicine "candy."



• Buy medicine and household products in childproof packages.



• Always replace the safety caps immediately after use.



• Never leave alcohol or tobacco products within a child's reach.



• Seek help if your child swallows a substance that is not food. Call the poison center or your doctor.



• Keep these telephone numbers by your phone:

Doctor ______________________________

Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222

Hospital _____________________________

• Keep products in their containers. Never put inedible products in food or drink containers.



• Read labels carefully before using any product.



• Teach children not to drink or eat anything unless it is given by an adult.



• Do not take medicine in front of small children. Children tend to copy adult behavior.



• Check your home often for old medications or substances and discard them.



• Discard substances used for old-fashioned treatments, such as oil of winter green, boric acid, ammoniated mercury, oil of turpentine and camphorated oil.

Be alert for repeated poisonings. Children who swallow a poison are likely to try again within a year.

Poison lookout checklist

The home areas listed below are the most common sites of accidental poisonings. Follow this checklist to learn how to correct situations that may lead to poisonings. If you answer "No" to any questions, fix the situation quickly. Your goal is to have all your answers "Yes."

The kitchen

1. Do all harmful products in the cabinets have child-resistant caps? Products such as furniture polish, drain cleaners and some oven cleaners should have safety packaging to keep little children from opening the packages.



2. Are all potentially harmful products in their original containers? There are two dangers if products aren't stored in their original containers. Labels on the original containers often give first aid information if someone should swallow the product. And if products are stored in containers such as drinking glasses or pop bottles, someone may think it is food and swallow it.



3. Are harmful products stored away from food? If harmful products are placed near food, someone may mix up a food and a poison.



4. Have all potentially harmful products been put up high and out of reach of children? The best way to prevent poisoning is making sure that it's impossible to find and get at the poisons. Locking all cabinets that hold dangerous products is the best poison prevention.

The bathroom

1. Did you realize medicines could poison if used improperly? Many children are poisoned each year by overdoses of aspirin. If aspirin can poison, just think of how many other poisons might be in your medicine cabinet.



2. Do your aspirins and other potentially harmful products have child-resistant closures? Aspirin and most prescription drugs come with child-resistant caps. Check to see if yours have them and that they are properly secured. Check your prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines before leaving the drug store to make sure the medicines are in child-resistant packaging. These caps have been shown to save the lives of children.



3. Have you thrown out all out-of-date prescriptions? As medicines get older, the chemicals inside them can change. So what was once a good medicine may now not be effective or be a dangerous poison. Flush all old drugs down the toilet. Rinse the container well, then discard it.



4. Are all medicines in their original containers with the original labels? Prescription medicines may or may not list ingredients. The prescription number on the label will, however, allow rapid identification by the pharmacist of the ingredients should they not be listed. Without the original label and container, you can't be sure of what you're taking. After all, aspirin looks a lot like poisonous roach tablets.



5. Are your vitamins or mineral supplements in child-resistant packaging? Most people think of vitamins and minerals as foods and, therefore, nontoxic, but these pills, which may look like candy to a child, can be fatal.

The garage or storage area

1. Did you know many things in your garage or storage area that can be swallowed are terrible poisons? Children may die if they swallow such every day substances as charcoal lighter, paint thinner and remover, antifreeze, and turpentine.



2. Do all these poisons have child-resistant caps?



3. Are they stored in the original containers?



4. Are the original labels on the containers?



5. Have you made sure that no poisons are stored in drinking glasses or pop bottles?



6. Are all these harmful products locked up and out of sight and reach?

When all of your answers are "Yes," then continue this level of poison prevention by making sure that, whenever you buy potentially harmful products, they have child-resistant closures and are kept out of sight and reach, preferably in a locked cabinet. Post the number of the poison control center near your telephone (1-800-222-1222).

General first aid guidelines

Poison in eye

Eye membranes absorb pesticides faster than any other external part of the body. Some pesticides may damage eyes in a few minutes. If poison splashes into an eye, gently hold the eyelid open and wash quickly with clean running water from the tap or a gentle stream from a hose for at least 15 minutes. If possible, have someone else contact a poison control center for you while the victim is being treated. Do not use eye drops or chemicals or drugs in the wash water.

Poison on skin

If pesticide splashes on the skin, drench area with water and remove contaminated clothing. Wash skin and hair thoroughly with soap and water. Later, disregard contaminated clothing or thoroughly wash it separately from other laundry.

Inhaled poison

Carry or move the child to fresh air immediately. If you think you need protection such as a respirator and one is not available, call the fire department and wait for emergency equipment before entering the area. Loosen victim's tight clothing. If the child's skin is blue or breathing has stopped, give artificial respiration and call rescue services. Open doors and windows so no one else can be poisoned by fumes.

Additional pesticide product information can be obtained from the National Pesticide Information Center at 1-800-858-7378. NPIC is a toll-free information service operated every day 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. pacific time and 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. eastern time.

External Sources U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission American Academy of Pediatrics

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.

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