National Poison Prevention Week is March 18-24

Each year more than 2 million poisonings are reported to the 61 Poison Control Centers across the country. More than 90 percent of these poisonings occur in the home and the majority of nonfatal poisonings occur in children younger than age 6, while poisonings are one of the leading causes of death among adults.
In an effort to prevent such tragic events, the federal government has declared March 18 to 24
National Poison Prevention Week. First authorized by Congress and signed into law by President Kennedy in 1961, National Poison Prevention Week is an annual event aimed at raising public awareness of the dangers of poisonings and how to prevent them.

The theme for this year’s Poison Prevention Week is “Children Act Fast…So do Poisons.”

Many poisonings happen when adults are distracted for just a few minutes. Unfortunately, it takes only a few moments for a small child to grab and swallow something that could be poisonous.

“This is why adults must make sure household chemicals and medicines are stored away from children at all times, and that they know what to do if kids swallow something that they are not supposed to,” says Laura Booth, an Extension associate for environmental programs.

Many times, parents only think about locking cabinets that contain pesticides and cleaning products. They don’t think to do the same for medicines. Medicines, whether prescription or over-the-counter pain relievers and cold remedies, look like candy to children. Depending upon the medicine, even one pill could be harmful to a child. Although labeling requirements, educational programs and child-resistant packaging have had some effects in reducing the number of childhood ingestions, significant numbers of children are still being poisoned by ingesting medicines brought into the home by grandparents or visitors. Poisonings have happened when youngsters have visited homes where no children live.

In general, all adults should use child-resistant packaging. In a study conducted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 23 percent of the oral prescription drugs that were ingested by children under age 5 belonged to someone who did not live with the child.

Children under age 5 are in stages of growth and development in which they are constantly exploring and investigating the world around them. This is the way they learn. Unfortunately, what children see and reach, they usually put in their mouths. As youngsters’ mobility, ingenuity and capabilities increase, they can reach medicines and household chemicals wherever stored. When children are crawling, they can find such products stored under the kitchen sink or on the floor. As soon as they are able to stand, they can reach products such as furniture polish on low-lying tables, as well as medications found in purses on chairs or beds or in bathroom vanity drawers. And, when they start to climb, they can reach medicine on countertops or open the medicine cabinet and get into medicine.

People who are elderly or handicapped can request non-child resistant packaging for prescription medicine, but they should be very careful how and where they store their medicines. For instance, pill organizers often contain a week’s worth of medication for an adult. If the container is kept in a purse and a child finds it, the container may become a toy to play with, and the pills inside it, a deadly candy.

Booth offers 10 good housekeeping rules that can help prevent poisonings in homes.

• Use child-resistant packaging properly by closing the container securely after use.
• Keep all chemicals and medicines locked up and out of sight.
• Never let young children out of your sight when products are in use, even if you must take the child or product along when answering the phone or doorbell.
• Always keep items in original containers because these containers have information about the product.
• Leave the original labels on all products, and read the label before using.
• Do not put decorative lamps and candles that contain lamp oil where children can reach them because lamp oil is very toxic.
• Always leave the light on when giving or taking medication. Check the dosage every time. This is especially important for older adults who may need reading glasses.
• Avoid taking medicines in front of children. Refer to medicine as medicine, not candy.
• Clean out the medicine cabinet periodically, and safely dispose of unneeded medicines when the illness for which they were prescribed is over. Pesticides also should be discarded properly. If you have questions, call your local solid waste agency for proper disposal instructions of hazardous products.
• Call the poison center toll-free at (800) 222-1222 immediately in case of poisoning.

For more information on poison prevention visit www.poisonprevention.org.

Source: Laura Booth, Extension Associate, Environmental Programs, (334) 844-5638.

Posted by dreynold at March 8, 2007 03:23 PM | TrackBack