Each year, poisonings from consumer products found in the home kill about 30 children and result in more than two million calls to poison control centers across the nation.
More than 90 percent of the calls involve poisonings in the home. Every year an estimated 80,000 children are treated in hospital emergency rooms for unintentional poisonings.
March 15 to 21 is National Poison Prevention Week, which aims to help prevent childhood poisonings.
Children younger than age 5 account for the majority of the non-fatal poisonings. A recent review conducted by U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found that 70 percent of poisonings involve children 1 to 2 years of age.
Oral prescription drugs, non-prescription drugs, and supplements were involved in more than half of the incidents.
“Awareness and action are the keys to preventing unintentional poisonings,” said Nancy Nord, acting chairman of the commission. “Children act fast. So do poisons. That’s why we urge parents, grandparents, and caregivers to have layers of poison prevention protection in the home.”
The commission recommends that parents, grandparents, and caregivers immediately take these three steps.
- Keep medicines and household chemicals in their original, child-resistant containers.
- Store the potentially hazardous substances up and out of a child’s sight and reach
- Keep the national toll-free poison control center telephone number, 800-222-1222, handy in case of a poison emergency.
Additional poison prevention tips to check during National Poison Prevention Week are:
- When hazardous products are in use, never let young children out of your sight, even if you must take them along when answering the phone or doorbell.
- Keep items closed and in their original containers.
- Leave the original labels on all products, and read the label before using.
- Always leave the light on when giving or taking medicine so that you can see what you’re dispensing or taking. Check the dosage every time.
- Avoid taking medicine in front of children. Refer to medicine as "medicine," not "candy."
- Clean out the medicine cabinet periodically and safely dispose of unneeded and outdated medicines.
- Don’t put decorative lamps and candles that contain lamp oil where children can reach them. Lamp oil can be very toxic if ingested by young children.
Great Information, most of us Boomers have not had small children in our homes for a few years and when that 1st grandchild arrives we totally forget about all the dangers we have laying around.
When we had our kids we took great care in removing this stuff so a refresher of the dangers is a must read.
Thanks for the reminder,
Renee
Hi Renee,
Thanks for writing. Yes, many of us are into the grandparenting stage. It didn’t take long for my twin grandbabies to start walking and begin getting into everything. It was great to watch; just like my kids, busy, busy, busy.
The twins are 5 years old now, so less likely to be the victims of accidental poisoning in the home.
It was interesting to be reminded that half of the unintentional poisonings in the home are caused by prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and supplements.
Rita