Preventing Poisoning: Safety Tips for You, Your Family, and Friends

Drugs and Medicines

• Follow directions on the label when you give or take medicines. Read all warning labels. Some medicines cannot be taken safely when you take other medicines or drink alcohol.
• Turn on a light when you give or take medicines at night so that you know you have the correct amount of the right medicine.
• Keep medicines in their original bottles or containers.
• Never share or sell your prescription drugs.
• Keep opioid pain medications, such as methadone and oxycodone, in a safe place that can only be reached by people who take or give them.
• Monitor the use of medicines prescribed for children and teenagers, such as medicines for attention deficit disorder, or ADD (SAMHSA 2006).
• Be careful when you dispose of drugs that can be abused, such as opioid pain medication and psychotherapeutic drugs. Drug users may look in the trash for them. Ask your pharmacist if he or she can take back old or expired medicines as well as any that you don't need (EPA 2006)

Household Chemicals and Carbon Monoxide

• Always read the label before using a product that may be poisonous.
• Turn on the fan and open windows when using chemical products such as household cleaners.
• Wear protective clothing (gloves, long sleeves, long pants, socks, shoes) if you spray pesticides or other chemicals.
• Never mix household products together. You can make a poisonous gas by mixing chemicals such as ammonia and bleach.
• Keep chemical products in their original bottles or containers. Do not use food containers such as cups, bottles, or jars to store chemical products such as cleaning solutions or beauty products.
• Read these carbon monoxide poisoning prevention guidelines.

Keep Young Children Safe from Poisoning

• Put the poison control number, 1-800-222-1222, on or near every home telephone and save it on your cell phone. The line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Keep all drugs in medicine cabinets or other childproof cabinets that young children cannot reach.
• Turn on a light when you prepare medicines for children so that you know you have the correct amount of the right medicine.
• Avoid taking medicine in front of children because they often copy adults.
• Do not call medicine "candy."
• Be aware of any legal or illegal drugs that guests may bring into your home. Do not let guests leave drugs where children can find them, for example, in a pillbox, purse, backpack, or coat pocket.
• When you take medicines yourself, do not put your next dose on the counter or table where children can reach them.
• Never leave children alone with household products or drugs. If you are using chemical products or taking medicine and you have to do something else, such as answer the phone, take any young children with you.
• Do not leave household products out after using them. Return the products to a childproof cabinet as soon as you are done with them.
• Identify poisonous plants in your house and yard and place them out of reach of children or remove them.
• Read how to prevent lead poisoning.
• http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/

What to do if a poisoning occurs

• Remain calm
• Call 911 if you have a poison emergency and the victim has collapsed or is not breathing. If the victim is awake and alert, dial 1-800-222-1222. Try to have this information ready:
  • the victim's age and weight
  • the container or bottle of the poison if available
  • the time of the poison exposure
  • the address where the poisoning occurred
• Stay on the phone and follow the instructions from the emergency operator or poison control center.

Poisoning Prevention in Your Community

National Poison Prevention Week occurs each year during the third week of March. It is a great time for communities to raise awareness about unintentional poisonings and to share prevention tips. Find more information and event materials at the National Poison Prevention Week Council visit this website.

Talk with local schools about teaching poison prevention. Lesson plans are available from the American Association of Poison Control Centers visit this website.