National Poison Prevention Week

National Poison Prevention Week is observed during the third week of March each year. According to the Poison Prevention Week Council, National Poison Prevention Week is a good time to "highlight the dangers of poisonings and how to prevent them."

This year's date for National Poison Prevention Week is March 15-21, 2009. It is a good time to think about how to protect your children from poisoning, a common cause of preventable injury to a child.

The basic theme of National Poison Prevention Week is "Children Act Fast...So Do Poisons!"

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, things that you can do to decrease the chance of your children being poisoned include:

• Keep all chemicals and medicines locked up and out of sight.
• Use child-resistant packaging properly by closing the container securely after each use or choosing child-resistant blister cards, which do not need to be re-secured.
• Call 1 (800) 222-1222 immediately in case of poisoning. Keep in mind that the AAP no longer recommends that you keep a bottle of ipecac syrup at home to induce vomiting.
• Be careful of look-alikes, including household cleaners that look like Gatorade and other drinks and could be ingested if not secured away from your children.
• When products are in use, never let young children out of your sight, even if you must take them along when answering the phone or doorbell.
• Keep items in original containers.
• Leave the original labels on all products, and read the label before using.
• Do not put decorative lamps and candles that contain lamp oil where children can reach them. Lamp oil can be very toxic if ingested by young children.
• Always leave the light on when giving or taking medicine. Check the dosage every time.
• Avoid taking medicine in front of children. Refer to medicine as "medicine," not "candy."
• Clean out the medicine cabinet periodically and safely dispose of unneeded and outdated medicines.

Many parents are careful about childproofing the inside of their home, but what about your garage or storage shed? Many things in your garage, such as charcoal lighter, paint thinner and remover, gasoline, antifreeze and turpentine, are very poisonous and can cause serious injury or death to children. It is important to keep these things secure and out of reach of children. Also be sure to store them in their original containers.

Other household products that can injure children if ingested, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, include 'moth balls, furniture polish, drain cleaners, weed killers, insect or rat poisons, lye, paint thinners, and dishwasher detergent'.

Even if you don't have young children living in your home, if there is any chance that young children may visit or spend time in your home, then it would be a good idea to keep your home childproofed. Also make sure that any home you visit with your children is child and poison proofed.