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Iowa Statewide Poison Center, A Public Service provided jointly
by St. Luke's Regional Medical Center/Iowa Health System, Sioux City,
and University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City
Peer Review Status: Internally and Externally Peer
Reviewed
Creation Date: April 2001
Last Revision Date: April 2001
Do you know how to prevent a poisoning?
Poison-proof your home
More than 70 percent of all poisoning accidents in the United States
occur with children under the age of five. Each year, two million
children will swallow a poison.
These accidents are often the result of two factors -
- Children are curious and will eat or drink almost
anything--even if it doesn't taste good.
- Adults are not careful how they store and handle potentially
dangerous household products and medicines.
Poisonings can happen anywhere
but most often occur in the kitchen or bathroom, even when a parent
is in the room. They can also happen in a bedroom where pills are
left on a bedside table.
And at any time,
especially near mealtime, and when the family's normal routine
changes - vacations, moving, illness, etc.
What you can do to protect your family
Medicines
- Use only child-resistant caps.
- Keep locked in cabinets.
- Return to safe storage immediately after use.
- Always measure doses, don't guess.
- Never tell children medicine is "candy."
- Keep all purses out of your child's reach. They may contain
medicine or other items that could harm a child.
- Get rid of out-dated medicines. Flush them down the toilet.
Rinse the container thoroughly.
Househood Products
- Select products with child-resistant caps.
- Keep locked in cabinets.
- Return to safe storage immediately after use.
- Store household products and food in separate areas.
- Keep products in original containers.
- Don't store household products in food or drink
containers.
- Don't turn your back on a child when a product is within
reach. If the telephone or doorbell rings, take your child with
you.
Plants
- Know the names of all the plants in your home and yard.
- Know which ones are poisonous.
- Keep all plants out of the reach of small children.
- Teach children not to put any part of a plant in their
mouth.
Lock them up or throw them away
In the kitchen
- Ammonia
- Carpet and upholstery cleaners
- Cleaning fluids
- Cleanswers and scouring powders
- Drain cleaners
- Furniture polish
- Metal cleaners
- Oven cleaners
- Powder and liquid detergents
- Rust removers
- Vitamins
In the bedroom
- Cologne/perfume
- Cosmetics
- Chemotherapy medications
- Other medications
In the bathroom
- Aftershave
- Bath oil
- Deodorant
- Hair dyes
- Hair remover
- Nail polish and remover
- Permanent wave solutions
- Room deodorizer
- Rubbing alcohol
- Shampoos
- Shaving lotions
- Toilet bowl cleansers
In the laundry room
- Bleach
- Bluing, dyes
- Disinfectants
- Powder or liquid detergents
- Stain removers
Miscellaneous
- Alcoholic beverages
- Cigarettes
- Cigarette lighters
- Moth balls and sprays
- Rat, mouse and ant poison
- Batteries
- Flaking or dried lead-based paint
In the garage/workshop
- Antifreeze
- Arts and crafts supplies
- Adhesives/glue
- Fertilizer
- Gasoline and oil
- Kerosene
- Lighter fluid
- Lime, cements, mortar
- Paint, remover and thinner
- Pesticides/garden sprays
- Turpentine
- Windshield cleaner
- Weedkiller/fertilizer
Disposal of toxic household products
Most medications can be flushed down the toilet.
Certain household products can be poured down the drain and
diluted with lots of water.
Contact your Health Department or local landfill to determine
which products may safely be put out with the trash and which
products demand proper disposal methods.
Additional Information Resources:
Home Economics Answer Line
- Food safety and handling
- 800-262-3804
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- Waste Management Division
- 515-281-8941
Iowa Department of Public Health
- Lead removal
- 800-972-2026
Iowa Statewide Poison Center 1-800-222-1222 (Call
Toll-free--Iowa Only)
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