March 20-26 is dedicated to building public awareness of the dangers posed by common toxins. According to the 2008 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Center’s National Poison Data System, approximately 2.5 million people were exposed to poisons. Children younger than 6 years accounted for half of all human exposures and ingestion was the route of exposure in nearly 80% of all cases. Many of the poisoning substances are found in the home, making diligence on the home front an important line of defense against accidental poisonings.
Some tips to keep your family safe:
- Install child safety locks on cabinets where cleaning supplies, medicines, chemicals are kept.
- Read and follow product label directions.
- Discard old medication properly.
- Keep all household products in their original packages.
- Discard empty cleaning supply containers.
- Don’t mix household cleaning products.
- Post the Poison Control Center Phone number by every phone in your home and enter it into your cell phone contact list (1-800-222-1222)
Source: Cleaning Matters, cleaninginstitute.org
For more information go to aapcc.org
