Children and the dangers of household products are the centerpiece of the 2015 National Poison Prevention Week, which takes place March 15-21. “Children act fast, and adults must make sure that household chemicals and medicines are stored away from children at all times,” according to a statement from the Poison Prevention Council.
In 2014, nearly 12,000 children, age 5 and younger, were exposed to the single-load laundry packets, according to the National Poison Data System [1]. Symptoms and side effects included: “excessive vomiting, wheezing and gasping,” extreme sleepiness and coma, according to a report from the American Association of Poison Control Centers.
The potential hazards of highly concentrated, single-load laundry packets have been front-and center. “Detergent pods are potential dangers for young children. They’re brightly colored packets that could be mistaken for candy,” says Agueda Hernandez, M.D., Medical Director of the BHMG Family Medicine Center.
Cleaning products are not the only danger and the list of potential poison hazards (see below) includes cosmetics and personal care products. To keep childproof your home from potential poisons, Dr. Hernandez recommends the following:
- Keep household products such as cleaning supplies and other chemicals, as well as personal care products, out of reach and secure with child-proof restraints.
- All medications and supplements should be kept in original — ideally child-proof — containers and out of reach.
- Still to come: On Friday, on this blog, Dr. Hernandez will address “Poison Hazards for Adults.”
