How to Prevent Poisonings in Your Home

As consumers, we buy more than a quarter of a million different household products that are used in and around the home for medication, cleaning, cosmetic purposes, exterminating insects, and killing weeds. These items are valuable in the home and for yard maintenance, but misuse, especially when products are used in inappropriate applications or quantities, can cause illness, injury and even death.

Each year more than 6,000 people die and an estimated 300,000 suffer disabling illnesses as a result of unintentional poisoning by solid and liquid substances. Unintentional poisonings can happen to anyone, at any time, in any situation.

Home unintentional poisonings, however, can be prevented. While child-resistant packaging has greatly reduced the number of fatalities among children under five years of age, parents, grandparents, and other caregivers must still be cautious. Following label directions for all products, including medication dosages, and proper storage of potentially toxic products are important precautions to heed.

Statistics

Poisonings from solids and liquids such as drugs, medicines, poisonous houseplants, cleaning products, and pesticides caused 6,300 deaths in the home in 1998 alone.
An additional 500 deaths in the home in 1998 were due to poisonings from gases and vapors such as carbon monoxide.
These deaths are not all among children. Another age group at risk is adults age 25 through 44. Many adults are unintentionally poisoned when they do not follow label directions on medications or household chemicals.

You can keep yourself and family members safer by being aware of potential hazards and observing these suggestions from the National Safety Council on ways to poison-proof your home.

Bathroom

Have a "child-proof" cabinet that locks. Even if your medicine cabinet is "high up," youngsters are inquisitive and avid climbers. They can easily reach a cabinet by climbing from the toilet (or other convenient object) to the sink and thus reach into the cabinet.
Use child-resistant caps and keep medication lids tightly closed. A child-resistant cap is meaningless if not properly fastened after each use.
Never take medication in front of a child, or refer to pills as candy. Kids often mimic adults. Also, something that tastes awful to an adult may not faze a small child.
Always follow the recommended dosage set forth by your doctor for all medications.
Some mouthwashes contain enough alcohol to poison small children. Consider alternative products.
Some toilet bowl cleansers are dangerously caustic and capable of burning tissue if ingested.

Bedroom

Mothballs and crystals should be hung in containers. If such products are used in closets or chests, they should be out of the reach of toddlers.
Keep personal care items are such as hair spray, cologne, perfumes, nail polish remover, nail glue remover, and astringents where children can't get into them.

Living Room

People who visit may carry medications in coat pockets, jackets, and purses, all of which are perfect hunting grounds for a curious child. Hang garments and store purses where children are not likely to get at them.
Children may be exposed to different lead sources in your home. Small children may chew on window sills, eat paint chips, or suck on their hands or toys, exposing themselves to lead dust. Lead poisoning can cause serious medical problems, especially in young children. Be sure your home is lead safe. See our lead poisoning fact sheet for more information.

Kitchen

Check under the sink and in cabinets. Look for stored products that could be hazardous when accessible to young children. These could include such items as bleaching agents, rust removers, drain cleaners, ammonia, oven cleaners, detergents, furniture polish, floor wax, metal polish, wax remover, and wall/floor/toilet bowl cleaners. Even food extracts, such as vanilla and almond, are potential poisons. If products cannot be moved, install safety latches on cupboard doors to keep inquisitive youngsters out.
Cleaning compounds and foods should never be stored together.
Keep all substances in their original containers. Using beverage bottles or cans for storing cleaning fluids, liquid floor wax, and other household mixtures is very hazardous. Children, and even adults, might mistake the contents for the original beverage. Also, labels on original containers give important usage and safety information.
Keep potentially hazardous cleaning compounds capped. Do not leave an uncapped contaner unattended even "just a minute" if toddlers are present.

Additional Precautions

Keep the numbers of your local poison control center (or national toll-free number, 800-222-1222) or family doctor posted near the telephone. Have the original container and its label when you call.
Keep syrup of ipecac available but use only when instructed to by a doctor or poison control center.
Use safety latches or combination locks to prevent curious children from getting into cabinets and drawers. Don't let children watch you open them. Kids learn fast.
Many poisonings of youngsters happen when the household routine has been interrupted. Examples of such changes include: when a parent is ill; when a family is moving; when a family is on a trip; when there is a guest in the home; when there is family tension; when seasonal products are in use. In addition, hungry or tired children are prone to putting the first available object they find into their mouths.
Throw out unneeded or expired medicines (OTC and prescriptions). Look for the expiration date. Out-of-date medications may be ineffective and/or dangerous.
For handling poisonings and other emergencies, everyone should be trained in First Aid.

Especially for Older Adults

Request medicine labels be printed in larger type.
If one type of child-restraint closure is difficult to use, ask your pharmacist for a different kind (especially if there are young children around).
Make sure you are taking the medicine you intended; turn on the lights and double-check the label, especially when you are sleepy or sick.
Avoid dosage errors - use dosage containers indicating day of week and/or time of day; don't leave it to memory.
If you are taking two or more medications (prescription or OTC), be sure to check with your pharmacist to avoid unexpected drug interactions.
Consider a dedicated medicine storage area—even if there are no kids in the house.

Pets are Susceptible, Too!

Poisonous anti-freeze tastes sweet to dogs and cats—clean up spills and leaks immediately and store carefully.
Avoid feeding pets human food—chocolate can poison and kill a dog. Onions are potentially harmful. Pets are healthier eating food specially formulated for what they need.
Don't spray or store cleaning or pesticide products near pet food or water dishes.
Make sure animals can't get at bait products while they are in use.
In the event of a spill, be sure to keep animals out of the area until it is cleaned up.
Don't forget about wildlife. Spraying products on a windy day can carry the product into the water supply for wild animals.