Poison

There are hundreds of poisons in the typical home. Many common household chemicals, cleaners, drain cleaners, furniture polish, insecticides, weed killers, lye, paint thinners, medications, and some plants are poisonous.

Always poison-proof your home if children may be present at any time. Most poisonings involve children between the ages of 18 months and 4 years old. Many poisonings involve adults using chemicals without proper safety precautions. Medication mix-ups sometimes cause poisonings of older adults. Sadly, some poisonings occur from suicide attempts with overdoses of medicines. By following simple safety precautions, most poisonings can be avoided.

Insure your safety with chemicals and cleansers:

• Move all chemicals and cleaners to a high shelf or into a locked cabinet. Remember that petroleum products and anti-freeze are poisonous.
• Do not mix cleansers, especially bleach, with other cleansers.
• Do not store chemicals in unlabeled containers, in the refrigerator, or in the same cabinet where food is kept.
• Open windows and doors and use fans when using strong cleaners indoors.

Insure your safety with medications:

• Do not share prescription medications with others. Keep them in a locked cabinet, and properly discard all leftover ones.
• Do not mix drugs in the same container.
• Always use childproof caps on medication containers.
• Never coax a child to take his medication by telling him it tastes like candy.
• Do not take more than the label recommendation of over-the-counter medications. Even over-the-counter medications can be toxic if taken inappropriately.
• Follow your healthcare provider's recommendations for all prescription and over-the-counter medications.

Insure your safety with other actions:

• Keep alcoholic drinks out of the reach of small children.
• Remove common plants known to be poisonous. Know the names of all your household plants and remove any that could cause sickness. Check with your local Poison Control Center if you need help identifying those that are dangerous if eaten.
• Teach children never to put leaves, stems, seeds, or berries from any plant in their mouths without permission.
• Do not eat mushrooms collected from the wild.
• Use caution around areas where snakes or other venomous animals, such as scorpions and black widow spiders, may be found.
• Keep Syrup of Ipecac on hand. Periodically check the expiration date to make sure it will still be effective if you need to use it. Ipecac is sometimes given to cause vomiting after a poison is eaten. It should never be given without first checking with a healthcare provider or the Poison Control Center because some poisons should not be vomited.
• Know the numbers of the nearest emergency department and Poison Control Center, and post them near your telephone.

Last Reviewed 2005

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

HIL File PERS4873.rf2 VRS# 4873 Data Version 7.0 Copyright 1999, 2002 McKesson Health Solutions LLC. All rights reserved.