Poison Prevention Awareness

By Terry Orr

National Poison Prevention Week is observed in the US the third week of March.  The goal of the week is to raise awareness of the risk of being poisoned by household products, medicines, pesticides, plants, bites and stings, food poisoning, and fumes.  Awareness being duly raised, it is hoped that this will prevent poisoning. (Source: Wikipedia) 

Safety Tips for You, Your Family, and Friends

Drugs and Medicines

• Only take prescription medications that are prescribed to you by a healthcare professional. Misusing or abusing prescription or over-the-counter medications is not a “safe” alternative to illicit substance abuse.
• Never take larger or more frequent doses of your medications, particularly prescription pain medications, to try to get faster or more powerful effects.
• Never share or sell your prescription drugs. Keep all prescription medicines (especially prescription painkillers, such as those containing methadone, hydrocodone, or oxycodone), over-the-counter medicines (including pain or fever relievers and cough and cold medicines), vitamins and herbals in a safe place that can only be reached by people who take or give them.
• Follow directions on the label when you give or take medicines. Read all warning labels. Some medicines cannot be taken safely when you take other medicines or drink alcohol.
• Turn on a light when you give or take medicines at night so that you know you have the correct amount of the right medicine.
• Keep medicines in their original bottles or containers.
• Monitor the use of medicines prescribed for children and teenagers, such as medicines for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.
• Dispose of unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs.
• Participate in National Drug Take Back days 

Household Chemicals and Carbon Monoxide

• Always read the label before using a product that may be poisonous.
• Keep chemical products in their original bottles or containers. Do not use food containers such as cups, bottles, or jars to store chemical products such as cleaning solutions or beauty products.
• Never mix household products together. For example, mixing bleach and ammonia can result in toxic gases.
• Wear protective clothing (gloves, long sleeves, long pants, socks, shoes) if you spray pesticides or other chemicals.
• Turn on the fan and open windows when using chemical products such as household cleaners.

Keep Young Children Safe from Poisoning

Be Prepared

• Put the poison help number, 1-800-222-1222, on or near every home telephone and save it on your cell phone. The line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Be Smart about Storage

• Store all medicines and household products up and away and out of sight in a cabinet where a child cannot reach them.
• When you are taking or giving medicines or are using household products:

• Do not put your next dose on the counter or table where children can reach them—it only takes seconds for a child to get them.
• If you have to do something else while taking medicine, such as answer the phone, take any young children with you.
• Secure the child safety cap completely every time you use a medicine.
• After using them, do not leave medicines or household products out.  As soon as you are done with them,  put them away and out of sight in a cabinet where a child cannot reach them.
• Be aware of any legal or illegal drugs that guests may bring into your home. Ask guests to store drugs where children cannot find them.  Children can easily get into pillboxes, purses, backpacks, or coat pockets.

What To Do If A Poisoning Occurs

• Remain calm.
• Call 911 if you have a poison emergency and the victim has collapsed or is not breathing. If the victim is awake and alert, dial 1-800-222-1222. Try to have this information ready:

• the victim’s age and weight
• the container or bottle of the poison if available
• the time of the poison exposure
• the address where the poisoning occurred

• Stay on the phone and follow the instructions from the emergency operator or poison control center.

References and Links:

http://www.poisonprevention.org/poison.htm 

http://poisonhelp.hrsa.gov/what-can-you-do/national-poison-prevention-week/index.html 

http://www.safekids.org/safety-basics/safety-resources-by-risk-area/poison/household-poison-prevention-1.html 

[All images from Google] 

Burn Awareness Week

(Google Image)

By Nurse Diane

During the winter months the temperatures around the country have been freezing and below.  People use many different methods to heat their homes.  Many use electric heat, through vents or either electric portable heaters.  Some use gas heaters, others use oil or kerosene, even fire places. My grandmother's home had a gas heater that was attached to the wall; it was long and flat, much like a mirror in a dressing room.  As a child I remember standing in front of it on cold winter mornings as it warmed up my backside.

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There is alot of cooking going on during the winter months too.  Many people cook soups, stews, coffee and hot chocolate.  This extra cooking not only warms up the kitchen, but warms up your insides too.

(Google Image)

One of the dangers with all this heating and cooking is that it can lead to fires and burns. A friend of mine in Virginia has recently had two family members lose their homes to fire.  This week is Burn Awareness Week.  While most adults are aware of the temperatures associated with cooking and heaters, young children are not.  They are curious, and want to explore new and different things in their surroundings. It is important to remember that children, especially those ages 4 and under, may not perceive danger, have less control of their environment, may lack the ability to escape a life-threatening burn situation and may not be able to tolerate the physical stress of a burn injury.

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According to safekids.org,

Every day, 352 children ages 19 and under are injured as a result of a fire or burn-related cause.

Among children under 5 years of age, scalds or contact burns are responsible for 90 percent of burn injuries.

Children have thinner skin than adults which can result in a more severe burn.

The most common places children experience scalds are in the kitchen or dining rooms and in the bathrooms.

The maximum recommended residential water temperature is 120˚F (48˚C).

Their site lists some safety tips for you to follow in the kitchen and bathroom.  They include:

KITCHEN AND HOT FOOD

Keep children at least 3 feet from hot appliances, pots, pans or food.

Use spill-resistant mugs when drinking hot liquids around children.

Avoid using tablecloths or anything a child can pull on and cause hot food to spill.

When cooking, use back burners and keep pot handles turned towards the back of the stove.

Always tuck cords from appliances where children cannot reach them.

Never hold a child when cooking something hot.

Test and stir all food before serving children to make sure it is cool enough to eat.

Supervise children closely when they are in or near the kitchen.

BATHROOM

Always test the bath water with your hand before bathing children.

When children are in or near the bath, watch them closely checking the water temperature frequently!

If you are unable to control the temperature that comes out of your faucet, install special tub spouts or shower heads that can shut off the flow of water when it gets too hot.

This week and every week - keep these tips in mind to prevent any accidental burns or scalding, and keep yourself and family safe.

Kids in Hot Cars Alert

Although experts often focus on more common safety measures, like using car seats correctly and basic childproofing, there are many less well known 'hidden dangers' that may put your kids at risk.

Your family car is one of these 'hidden dangers,' and it is not just because of car accidents. In addition to the risk of getting hit or run over by a car, being left or getting trapped in a hot car can be just as deadly a danger. 2010 was a record year for deaths for children left in hot cars - 49 deaths.

Situations in which kids get hurt in hot cars include when:

• infants and toddlers are simply forgotten in their car seat
• toddlers or preschoolers sneak into the car to play and can't get out
• kids get trapped in the trunk

What's the danger?

In addition to the risk of being abducted if they are left alone in a car, on a typical summer day, the temperature inside a car (even with the windows rolled down a little) can quickly rise above 120 to 140 degrees. Even on a relatively mild day, the temperature inside a car can get above 100 degrees. At those temperatures, kids are at great risk for heat stroke, which can lead to a high fever, dehydration, seizures, stroke and death.

If you don't think that it can happen to you or your kids consider these descriptions from the death certificates of children that were published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

• a 9 month old died after being 'left strapped in child safety seat in a sweltering minivan for two hours - misunderstanding between child's parents resulted in the child being left alone in the van; one parent believed infant was at home with other 
• a 6 month old 'baby died when accidentally left in hot car for 3 hrs, died when outside 90-degree temperatures rose to 130 degrees inside closed car, parents thought the other had carried the baby from the car to crib 
• a 34 month old 'toddler who recently learned how to open a car door apparently climbed inside family station wagon while parent and sibling were in house'
• a 23 month old died when a 'relative babysitting child, put child in car for trip to store, went back in house having forgotten something, was distracted by something on television, sat on couch to watch, fell asleep, woke up two hours later'
• a 2 year old died after a 'parent left child in car after returning home from errand - was left for more than an hour'
• a 2 year old 'child apparently slipped away from parents and siblings, fell asleep atop blanket in unlocked car in driveway of home, oldest sibling found child 40 minutes later'

Remember, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 'a locked car sitting in the summer sun quickly turns into an oven,' and 'temperatures can climb from 78 degrees to 100 degrees in just three minutes, to 125 degrees in 6-8 minutes.'

Safety Tips

To keep your kids safe:

• don't leave them in a car, which can quickly heat up, especially on a hot, sunny day
• always lock your car and secure the keys so that your kids can't get to them
• warn your kids about playing in the car by themselves without adult supervision
• install a trunk release mechanism, so that they can't get trapped in the trunk
• get your kids out of the car first, and then worry about getting the groceries, etc., out of the car when you get home
• make sure that child care providers and day care workers have a plan to make sure that kids aren't left in the day care providers car or van
• If you are afraid that you might leave your sleeping infant or toddler in their car seat when you get out of the car, place a reminder on the dashboard.
• Also be on alert for cars that might have an unattended child left inside. If you see a child alone in a car, be sure to call 911 and help make sure the child gets out as soon as possible.
• And when a child is missing, in addition to checking the backyard pool and any other bodies of water, be sure to check inside the car and trunk of any nearby vehicles.

Kids in Cool Cars

The danger of being left alone isn't limited to kids getting overheated. Simply leaving the car running and the air conditioning on doesn't make your child any safer, even if it is just for a few minutes. Your child might be abducted, put the car into drive, or even get caught in a closing power window. So use the drive-through if it is available or take your kids inside, even if you will just be a few minutes.