Avoiding Home Poisonings from Chemicals and Medications

Ever year, according to safeusa.org, millions of people are poisoned, and up to 90% of these poisonings happen at home. The scary thing about that number is that half of those poisonings happen to children ages six and under. It makes sense you want to make your home as safe as possible for people of all ages, but it's especially important if you have children.

My mother tells me a story about when I was playing outside when I was two years old. I had wandered over to my grandmother's potted plants and stuffed a handful on dirt from the pot into my mouth. My mother almost passed out, and my grandfather good-naturedly teased her about my food choices.

What my mom was so concerned about were the fertilizers in the dirt. Luckily, I was fine and there were no side effects. Now that I'm a mom, I worry about the same things.

Prevention

You can greatly reduce the chances of any poisonings happening by simply keeping poisons out of reach. Here are some helpful tips to keep bad things out of little hands.

- Keep all medications up in high (cabinets locks are a good idea)
- Dispose of all medications when they expire
- Tell visitors to keep their medications out of reach
- Take medications out of sight from small children so they don't try to emulate what you are doing
- When you give your children medications, don't tell them it's candy
- Do not store cleaning chemicals under the kitchen or bathroom sinks
- Vitamins are poison if too many are taken, keep them up high as well
- Cosmetics, nail polish and polish remover are all poisonous, keep them stored away in a secure location
- Don't assume children cannot open 'child proof' bottles
- Keep medications in original packaging and do not share prescriptions with anyone
- Keep cleaning chemicals in their original packaging to avoid confusion
- Have your home checked for lead paint. Dust particles from this type of paint can be inhaled and leads to lead poisoning
- Keep garage, basement, and outdoor chemicals and liquids out of reach
- Be careful of mixing cleaning products. Some cleaners do not mix and will create noxious fumes that can make you extremely sick
- Ventilate when using any chemicals in your home

If Poisoning Occurs

You can do your best to prevent accidents, but you should also be prepared in case something does happen. Keep the number for poison control posted near your phone. You don't want to lose valuable minutes searching for the number. You can also call 911.

Know the signs of possible poisoning. You may not realize what has happened if your child gets into something. You should make a call if you notice your child is sluggish or extremely tired or disoriented. If you smell a strange odor coming from your child's mouth or notice redness around the mouth, call right away.

If your child has gotten something in their eyes or on their skin, flush with cold water and call for further instructions. You can keep syrup of ipecac on hand, along with activated charcoal. You should not use these unless you are instructed to by Poison Control to do so.

Final Thoughts

Little ones are naturally curious, so keep this in mind as you put away chemicals and medications. Do you best to keep everything out of little hands, and know what to do if an accident should occur. Remember to stay calm; panic will only make the situation worse.