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Common household items like cleaning products, medicine, make-up and plants
account for most home poisonings. |
|
Be prepared. Many accidental poisonings can be treated safely in the home,
after getting medical advice first. |
|
Put the Washington
Poison Center phone number -- 1-800-732-6985 -- by the phone. |
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Buy Syrup of Ipecac. Ipecac is a treatment for some types of poisoning and
induces vomiting. Keep it in your home. Keep it at grandparent's home. Make
sure the baby-sitter or day care provider has some. |
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Never give a child Ipecac or anything else to counter possible
poisonings without medical advice first! |
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Stick "Mr. Yuk" stickers on any harmful products and teach your
children what "Mr. Yuk" stands for. |
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If you suspect poisoning . .
.
- Stay calm. Keep the child calm.
- Look in the child's mouth. Remove any remaining pills, make-up, pieces of
plants, etc.
- Take the child and the poison to the phone. Call the
Washington
Poison Center (1-800-732-6985) or your doctor. Be prepared to give child's
age, weight, product ingested and amount of poison ingested.
- Follow the directions exactly as they are given to you by the Poison
Center. Good intentions may do more harm than good.
If you suspect poisoning, never give a child Ipecac syrup or anything
else without calling a Poison Center or doctor first!
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Some helpful tips to remember
about medications
- Never refer to medicine as candy.
- Keep all medicines out of children's reach.
- Use medicine with child-resistant packaging.
- Store medicine in its original container, never in cups or soft-drink
bottles.
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Home and garage poison
questions
Check your poison control awareness with the following questions.
 |
Do harmful products in your cabinets have child-resistant
caps?
All cleaners and polishes should have safety packaging to keep little children
from accidentally opening them. |
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Are harmful products stored in original containers?
Original containers often give first aid advice. Never store products in cups,
glasses, soft-drink or juice bottles. Someone may think it's food and swallow
it. |
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Are harmful products stored away from food?
Someone may get them confused and accidentally swallow poison instead of food.
|
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Are harmful products out of a child's reach? Are all your cabinets
equipped with child-proof locks?
They are very inexpensive and easy to install. |
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Do your medicine containers have child-resistant caps?
They do save children's lives! |
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Are your medicines in the original container? Are the labels still
on the container?
If not, how would you know what was taken? |
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Are your vitamins or vitamin/mineral supplements in child-resistant
packaging?
Remember, a few iron pills can kill a child! |
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Did you know that common items in your garage are terrible
poisons?
Death can occur after swallowing charcoal lighter, paint, thinner, remover,
gasoline, oil, antifreeze or turpentine. |
|
Are fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides locked up and out of
sight?
Ensuring that these harmful products are secured away from curious fingers
removes the temptation to taste or play with them. |
By following these simple guidelines, you can prevent accidental poisonings in
your home.
Remember . . .
| C h i l d r e
n a c t f a s
t . . . s
o d o p o i s o n s
! |
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