Families with children must be especially vigilant about cleaners and chemicals. It only takes a moment for an accident to happen.
By From Times wires
Published May 4, 2004
[Times illustration: Rossie Newson]
Many accidental poisonings occur when adults who are using a household product become momentarily distracted around small children.
Tots are apt to put anything in their mouths, so make sure household chemicals and medicines are locked up or kept away from them at all times. And be aware of this need during visits to other homes.
Kids can also be poisoned by the willful sniffing or "huffing" of glue, paint, hair spray, air freshener and other common household products. This dangerous practice can damage the heart, brain, liver and other organs, as well as lead to what is called sudden sniffing death syndrome.
These are "accidental" poisonings in the sense that kids may not appreciate the perils involved, so it's very important to educate them. You can learn more about this problem by calling the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition at 1-800-269-4237 or visiting www.inhalants.org
Here are the 10 most common agents involved in poisonings:
-- Cosmetics: includes mouthwashes, fingernail polish remover.
-- Plants: flower, leaf, herbs, roots.
-- Cough and cold preparations.
-- Hydrocarbons: inhaled butane or halogenated hydrocarbons.
-- Bites: insect bites and stings; animal, snake, spider bites.
-- Topical products such as creams applied to treat skin infections or rashes; analgesic balms; oil of wintergreen.
-- Foreign bodies: coins, toy parts, packaging materials.
-- Chemicals: the two most common are cyanide and ethylene glycol (antifreeze).
The Home Safety Council and the American Association of Poison Control Centers encourage families to safely store and handle potentially toxic products. The council's recent study found that poisonings are the second-leading cause of unintentional home-injury death and account for nearly one-third of all unintentional home injuries.
Every Poison Control Center in the country can be accessed through the AAPCC nationwide toll free hot line at 1-800-222-1222.
Here are some suggestions from the Home Safety Council to help poison-proof your home:
-- Keep all household products in original containers. Never put preparations like kerosene, antifreeze, paints or solvents in containers customarily used for food or drinks.
-- Store all medicines in their original containers with the original labels intact. Kids have been known to thwart child-resistant caps, so it's best to keep medicines completely away from them.
Prescription medicines may or may not list ingredients. In an emergency, the prescription number on the label will allow rapid identification of ingredients by your pharmacist.
-- Homes with young children should have child locks installed on cabinets, and cleaning products and chemicals should be behind the locks when not in use.
-- Clean out your medicine cabinet periodically and dispose of old or unneeded medicines. -- Leaving medicines inside purses, nightstand drawers or other easy accessible locations can be a hazard to young children.
-- Keep foods and household products separated. Poisoning can be the result of "mistaken identity."
-- Never use drinking glasses, soft-drink bottles or other food containers to store poisonous liquids or leave a harmful product near food. Your child could pick up the wrong glass for a sip.
-- Be certain that medicines and household products are put away before leaving the room to answer the telephone or doorbell. Remember that children can climb.
-- If you provide care for someone who uses medications, carefully dispense the medicines and keep track of doses.
-- Be sure that all products are properly labeled. Read the label before using.
-- Always turn the light on when giving or taking medicine.
-- Children imitate adults, so avoid taking medications in their presence.
-- Don't call medicine "candy" in an effort to get children to take a dose.
In a poisoning emergency, be prepared to provide:
-- The child's age and weight.
-- Any health conditions.
-- The substance involved and whether it was swallowed, inhaled, absorbed through skin contact or splashed into the eyes.
-- The product label directions on what to do in such cases.
The unguided household use of ipecac syrup (to induce vomiting) or activated charcoal (to soak up an ingested substance) is no longer recommended. Instead, follow the advice given by the poison control center.
Though it's critical that you know what to do when a child ingests a poisonous substance, the watchword is prevention.
