Poison Prevention Tips to Protect the Most Vulnerable
Sunday, March 23, 2008; 4:00 AM
Copyright © 2008
ScoutNews,
LLC. All rights reserved.
SATURDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- To mark National Poison
Prevention Week, which concludes Saturday, the Soap and Detergent
Association offers a home safety checklist for parents with young
children.
Parents and caregivers should:
- Install child-safety locks on cabinets that house cleaning
supplies, medicines, cosmetics, chemicals and other poisons.
Never assume a cabinet is too high for a child.
- Keep all household products in their original packaging,
which includes useful first-aid information in the event of
accidental exposure or ingestion. If you purchase household
products in bulk, buy a smaller size of the same product and use
this container for refills.
- Use child-resistant packaging properly by closing the
container securely after each use. Keep in mind that this type of
packaging is child-resistant, but not child-proof, and products
must still be stored out of reach of children.
- Read and follow the directions on the product label. Pay
particular attention to labels that include the words "Caution,"
"Warning," "Danger," or "Poison."
- When using cleaning products, take out only what's needed for
the job at hand. Store the rest in a secure location.
- Don't mix household cleaning products. Doing so could release
harmful vapors or cause other dangerous chemical reactions.
- Don't leave cleaning buckets unattended. If a child falls
into the bucket, it may not tip over and the child could drown.
If the bucket is tipped, the contents could spill and come into
contact with a child's sensitive skin. Immediately clean up any
spills and quickly and safely dispose of rags, paper towels and
related items that you used to clean up a spill.
- Schedule house cleaning when children are having a nap, on a
play date, or at school.
- If children are present while you're cleaning, avoid any
distractions. If you need to answer the door, take the child with
you. If the phone rings, let the answering machine get it.
- Know where to call for help. Post the Poison Control Center
phone number (1-800-222-1222), along with other emergency
numbers, by every land phone in your home, and enter the numbers
into your cell phone's address book.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers more
tips to prevent poisonings.
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