The Reality of Poisoning

The Reality of Poisoning

As parents, grandparents, and child-care providers we all want to keep our children safe and secure, allowing them to live their full potential.  Prevention and knowledge of the leading cause of childhood injury; poisoning is a step toward reaching this goal. In the United States, everyday 300 children between the ages 0 to 19 are treated in the emergency department, two children die, as a result of being poisoned. It’s not just the chemicals in our home marked with clear warning labels that can be dangerous to children.

Everyday items in your home, such as household cleaners and medicines, can be poisonous to children as well. Active, curious children will often investigate; sometimes try to eat or drink anything that they can get into. Many household cleaners and medicines look like harmless items; candy, food, juice, or other type of beverage.

Pills look like candy

Cleaning products look like beverages 

Cleaning products look like food

Thankfully, there are ways you can help poison-proof your home and protect the children you love.

Prevention Tips

Lock them up. Keep medicines and toxic products, such as cleaning solutions, in their original packaging where children can’t see or get them.

Know the number. Put the national poison control center phone number, 1-800-222-1222, on or near every telephone in your home and program it into your cell phone. Call the poison control center if you think a child has been has been poisoned, they can be reached 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call 911 if you have a poison emergency, if your child has collapsed or is not breathing.

Read the label. Follow label directions and read all warnings when giving medicines to children.

Don’t keep it if you don’t need it. Safely dispose of unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs and over the counter drug, vitamins, and supplements. To dispose of medicines, remove all identifying information, mix them with coffee grounds, kitty litter, soil, and water, and throw them away. You can also turn them in at a local take back program or during National Drug Take Back events.

Glow Sticks

One of the most popular items around Halloween is glow sticks, necklaces, bracelets, and wands.  The average Poison Control Center receives about 50 calls in a 24 hour period for exposures to these items on Halloween. Children and pets can bite into them or get the liquid in their eyes. The big question is what is in these glow products and is it harmful. There are three main ingredients in glow sticks; dibutyl phthalate, hydrogen peroxide, and the fluorescent color. The product is not activated until a glass vial on the inside of the plastic is broken allowing the liquids to mix together creating the glow. These products are low in toxicity but can be very irritating to the eyes, skin, and mucus membranes (mouth).

What to do for ingestion

• Don’t be alarmed if your child’s lip and tongue glow for a few minutes
• Wipe the mouth with a clean wet washcloth; go over the tongue and around the gum line
• Give the child a small glass of water or milk, 4 ounces for a child under four, and 8 ounces for a child older.

For eye exposure:

• Irrigate or flush eyes with generous amounts of room temperature water for 10-15 minutes.
• Call the Poison Control Center for persistent irritation, swelling, pain, or sensitivity to light.

For skin exposure:

• Remove any cloth that is wet with the liquid
• Wash the exposed skin areas thoroughly with soap and water

The glow stick or product is minimally toxic and does not cause long term damage to a child. If the child ingests a taste it may cause some irritation, nausea, or vomiting. It’s the same with pets in the animal get a hold of the product. Follow the above steps for the different exposure types. Questions call your local Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222. The Poison Control Center is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year.

Video about Carbon Monoxide

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4647177n

This video discusses the silent killer- carbon monoxide. Make sure you have carbon monoxide detectors that work on each floor, especially the floor where the bedrooms are. This is the time of the year everyone starts using their furnaces. Be safe!!!!

Carbon Monoxide

What You Can't See or Smell Can Hurt You

It's winter. John has been feeling "under the weather" all week. He appears to be fine at work, but at home he experiences severe headaches and weakness. He notices that other household members are also ill and his young children are most severely affected. Even the family pet does not seem to feel well. The medication he purchased for the family to relieve their flu-like symptoms did not seem to be working. What could be causing the family's illness?

The source of the family's illness is a kerosene heater which has not been working properly. Malfunctioning gas, oil, and kerosene heaters can release carbon monoxide gas (CO), which presents a serious health threat. CO is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and non-irritating gas. These properties make CO especially dangerous, because it cannot be detected without special testing of the air quality.

When inhaled, CO reduces the amount of oxygen the blood can carry and the amount of oxygen delivered to all vital organs. The organs at greatest risk of injury are those with the highest requirements for oxygen — the heart and brain. Symptoms of a mild exposure to CO include headache, shortness of breath during mild exertion and fatigue. Continued exposure to CO may result in nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances and difficulty in concentrating. Prolonged exposure and lack of medical treatment may lead to serious and long-term effects and may even be life-threatening. The very young and the very old are most sensitive to the effects of CO.

Some symptoms of CO poisoning, such as, headache, dizziness, nausea and fatigue, can be confused with the common flu. However, flu is passed from one family member to another, and usually does not affect everyone in the family at the same time. Symptoms of the flu do not improve after leaving the house; and are usually relieved with proper medication. CO poisoning, on the other hand, will simultaneously produce symptoms in the entire family, including the family pets. Symptoms may improve upon leaving the area of exposure; and are not relieved with medication.

John and his family should immediately go to an emergency room and not return home until the malfunctioning heater has been fixed or replaced. The gas company, oil company or local health authority provides help in identifying and removing sources of CO contamination.

Other sources of CO poisoning include house fires and, occasionally, paint strippers containing methylene chloride.

Sources of Carbon Monoxide

·         Malfunctioning gas, oil or kerosene heater

·         Hot water heaters

·         House fires

·         Occasionally, paint strippers containing methylene chloride

Poison Prevention Tips

Poison Prevention Tips

An interesting fact is most poisoning exposures occur when the product is in use. Here are a few tips to help reduce the chance of a poison exposure in your home or work place.

·         Store all household products and medicines out of reach and sight of small children and pets.
·         Store all medications separately from household products and household chemicals away from food.
·         Always read the label before using and follow the instructions on medicines, cleaners, pesticides, automotive, lawn and garden products for their proper use. Some of the first aid instructions on the product labels are often incorrect or dangerous.
·         Never store potential poisons in containers used for eating and drinking. Store all potential poisons in their original, labeled containers. Leave the original labels on all products.
·         Never refer to medicine as candy to a young child.
·         Attempt to avoid taking medication in front of small children.
·         Turn on a light when taking or giving a medication.
·         When you are using household chemical products and medicine, never let them out of your sight, even if you must take them along when answering the telephone or doorbell.
·         Clean out your medicine cabinet periodically.
·         Use child resistant closures; nothing is really child proof but a deterrent.
·         When in doubt call local Poison Control Center; 1-800-222-1222

The call is a free and confidential service provided by trained health care providers for poison exposures and prevention. The call could save an unnecessary expense of a trip to the emergency room.

Hand Sanitizer

What is hand sanitizer?

Hand sanitizer, such as Purell and Bath & Body Works are products for cleaning your hands when you don’t have soap and water. They kill germs, like viruses and bacteria, help to prevent the spread of colds and flu. Some brands of hand sanitizer use a form of alcohol to kill germs, while others use different chemicals.  Young children sometimes swallow hand sanitizer by getting into the bottle or licking it off their hands. Many of the new products come in different scents that are appealing to small children to try to taste because of the smell. Some people, especially teens, drink hand sanitizer on purpose for the alcohol. They can often find the instructions online for “distilling” the alcohol.

Dangers of hand sanitizers

If used correctly hand sanitizers are a safe method for preventing the spread of germs. Someone who swallows a lot of hand sanitizer with alcohol in it may show signs of being drunk, have trouble walking and talking. However, hand sanitizer taste bad and irritates the mouth, which keeps most people from drinking a harmful amount. Getting hand sanitizer in your eyes can also be painful.

What to do if someone may be poisoned by hand sanitizer

Call your local Poison Control Center if you have questions about hand sanitizer, whether someone has swallowed some, splashed in the eyes with, or if you just want information, 1-800-222-1222

If someone has swallowed hand sanitizer, we can help you figure out how much the person drank, what symptoms you may see and how to treat them. If someone gets hand sanitizer in their eyes, we will help your figure out if they need to flush their eyes and can tell you how to do it the right away.

Methods to prevent hand sanitizer poisoning

·         Use alcohol-free sanitizer when you can

·         Keep hand sanitizer out of reach of children

·         Keep hand sanitizer in the original container

·         Keep an eye on children when they use hand sanitizer

Carbon Monoxide

What is carbon monoxide?

Carbon monoxide or CO is a harmful gas that you cannot see or smell. Carbon monoxide is made when fuels like wood, oil and coal are burned.

You can breathe in carbon monoxide if your appliances or equipment are broken, or if you use them in the wrong way. Some types of equipment that make carbon monoxide are:

§  Fireplaces

§  Furnaces

§  Generators

§  Grills

§  Space heaters

§  Hot water heaters

What are the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning?

You can breathe in carbon monoxide and not even know it. You might feel like you have the flu. You may:

§  Have a headache

§  Feel tired

§  Have trouble breathing

§  Feel sick to your stomach or throw up

A carbon monoxide alarm will let you know if you have too much in your home.

If you breathe in a lot of carbon monoxide, you can get very sick. When you breathe in carbon monoxide, your brain and your heart don’t get enough air. You could:

§  Have a heart attack

§  Have trouble thinking

§  Go into a coma or even die

What can you do?

If you think you have breathed in carbon monoxide:

§  Get to fresh air right away

§  Call 911 or your local fire department

§  Call the poison center at 1-800-222-1222

To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning:

§  Put carbon monoxide alarms in your home:

§  Place alarms near bedrooms. Place an alarm on every floor of your home.

§  Read the directions that come with the alarm. They will tell you where to put the alarm, how to use it and how often to check the batteries.

§  Put batteries in all your alarms. If the power goes out, plug-in alarms will not work without batteries.

§  Have a professional set up your furnace, hot water heater or stove. Make an appointment to have a professional check on the furnace once a year.

§  Do not leave your car running in a garage, even with the garage door open.

§  Use outdoor equipment outside, away from windows and doors. Do not use generators, grills, or gas-powered tools indoors or near windows or doors.

§  Use generators safely:

§  Only use your generator outside.

§  Put the generator more than 15 feet away from your house and your neighbors’ houses.

§  Point the exhaust away from houses.

§  To prevent a fire, have an electrician help you choose and set up your generator.

Call local Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222

1-800-222-1222

In the United States every 15 seconds a Poison Control Centers receives a call. The interesting factor is more than half the phone calls are made by an adult taking care of the child, when the child ingests or is exposed to a poisonous substance. The substances can include medicine, household chemical, and pesticides. The Center for Disease Control reports there is approximately 2 million poison exposures in the United States every year, more than 57% of the exposures are children under the age of 6. Approximately 30 children die every year related to accidentally poisonings. For children the most common exposure of household products includes; cleaning substances, medications, cosmetics, personal care products, foreign body ingestion  and plants. A staggering statistic of the majority of accidental poisonings is 90 percent occur in the home.

Children under the age of 6 are very curious and like to explore. It only takes a moment for a small child to find and swallow a poisonous substance. Distractions such as the telephone, doorbell, or cooking something on the stove is more than enough time for a little one to find something to get into. The Poison Control Center is the 9-1-1 for poison emergencies. The national line is toll-free and automatically routes the call to the local Poison Control Center, 1-800-222-1222. The center is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week with medical professionals; Registered Nurses, Pharmacists, Physicians, and Poison Information Specialists. It is recommended having the 1-800-222-1222 number posted by the home phone (landline) and saved as a favorite in an individual’s cell phone.

Helpful information to have when calling the Poison Control Center:

• Age of the victim
• Weight of the victim
• Existing health conditions or problems
• Substance or product involved, and the type of exposure-swallowed, inhaled, skin contact, or splashed in eyes. You may be asked to read the label exactly to help provide the necessary treatment recommendations.
• Time the exposure occurred
• Any type of first aid given- washed face, flushed eyes with water. The Poison Control Center does not recommend inducing vomiting; it can make the situation worse.
• Any symptoms the victim may have; vomiting, choking, irritation to skin or eyes
• The location and which hospital is nearest

Not all products are labeled correctly to deal with suspected poisonings. An example may be ingestion of dish soap and the recommendation is to drink several glasses of water. Depending on the size of the person ingesting this product can change the recommendations. Small children do not do well drinking several glasses of water at once and may vomit. Some products do not have warning labels; this does not mean the product is safe for ingestion.  Looking up product information on the internet is not always reliable and providing the correct information, an individual’s best opportunity is to call the Poison Control Center.