How to Make Every Week Poison Prevention Week

In 1961, Congress enacted National Poison Prevention Week to be celebrated the third week of every March. But we believe poisonings can be prevented 365 days a year. Shockingly, 90% of all poisonings occur in the home, which is the one environment you would think people had the most control over.

A poisoning is when someone swallows, breathes, touches or gets splashed in the eye with a substance that can cause sickness or death. Yet not all of these substances are in and of themselves poisonous. An adult may take an aspirin to ease some pain, but when a two-year-old ingests a handful of pills thinking they're candy, it can result in much more than a headache.

Here are some poison-prevention tips:

• Keep all cleaning products out of sight and reach of children; install childproof safety latches on cabinets
• Store food and household cleaning products in separate areas
• Keep products in their original, labeled containers, and read those labels prior to use
• If the phone or doorbell rings when you're in the middle of using a product, close the bottle or box. Many incidents happen when adults are distracted
• Wash hands thoroughly after using a product, and, likewise, wash any utensils that may have been used to measure or dispense a product
• Turn on fans or open windows when using household and chemical products for proper ventilation
• NEVER combine cleaning agents with ammonia. Some chemical mixtures can create deadly fumes
• Don't use empty cleaning-product containers to store food, and, likewise, never use cups or baby bottles to store detergents or cleansers

In case of an accidental poisoning or emergency, call the number listed on the product label or call the U.S. Poison Control Center's toll-free hotline at 800-222-1222.

Learn more about the National Poison Prevention Week Council at www.poisonprevention.org. Help raise awareness about poisoning by following the Council at www.twitter.com/PreventPoison, liking the Facebook page and sharing these links with your family, friends and community.

Earned Income Tax Credit Can Put Money in Your Pocket

You could be eligible to get more money back from the IRS - as much as $5,751. If you earned less than $49,078 from wages, self-employment, or farming last year, you may qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit  - or EITC.


EITC is a financial boost for working people in a recovering economy. You may be among the millions who will qualify for the first time because your financial, marital or parental status changed in 2011.


Eligibility is based on several factors, including the amount of earned and other types of income, or combined income if married, whether you have qualifying children and how many. Workers without children may also qualify.


Four of five eligible people claim and get their EITC. Use IRS's online EITC Assistant to see if you qualify. If so, you must file and claim the credit to get it.


Free help is available at volunteer income tax assistance sites. Locate a volunteer site by calling United Way 2-1-1 of Manasota for local services or call the IRS at 1-800-906-9887.


If you file in a state other than Florida, your state may also have an EITC, so you could get back even more.


EITC. You earned it. Now file, claim it and get it!