The average home has up to 250 common "poisons" that send hundreds of children to the hospital every year. Learn how to poison-proof your home...

How to Poison-Proof Your Home

by Jane Lake

It's easy to forget that common household cleaners, medicines and plants can be very dangerous, particularly for children. The problem is, these potentially hazardous goods are everywhere. They're in the bathroom, under the sink, on top of the dressing table, in the living room, stored in the garage or even to be found in the baby's room -- places that are well within the grasp of curious kids.

Here's a list of 10 items commonly swallowed by young children:

1. Children's A.S.A. (aspirin)

2. Bleach

3. Adult A.S.A.

4. Diaper-pail deodorizer

5. Chocolate-flavored laxative

6. Children's fever drops

7. Cough Syrup

8. Tranquilizers

9. Birth control pills

10. Cigarette butts

Be Aware of Potential Poisons
When you are busy, it's easy to be distracted by intrusive demands on your time. But you must always be aware and on guard against accidental poisoning. Practice safe habits: don't let telephone calls or unexpected interruptions stop you from putting away harmful products before responding. If you can't do that, make sure you keep your children in sight - take them with you to answer a call rather than leaving them alone with poisonous products.

Use common sense: don't leave an open paint tin within easy reach; return gasoline to safe storage as soon as the lawn mower is refilled; don't leave a purse holding drugs or cosmetics lying around. In short, make it a habit to put any potential poison back in a safe place as soon as you are done with it.

Keeping Poisons Out of Reach

Most of your house is a high risk area, including the bathroom, kitchen, laundry, living room, bedrooms, garage, basement and garden. Purses and bags belonging to visitors could contain hazardous medicines or cosmetics and should be treated accordingly.

Make it a rule to keep all household cleaners, detergents, rubbing alcohol, paint thinners, and medicines etc. in a locked cabinet or closet, well out of reach of young children. Don't leave them sitting on counters, refrigerator tops, windowsills, or under the sink. Even placing these harmful items in a high kitchen cabinet is not enough; you may think they are out of reach - but children love to climb, especially in the kitchen.

Prominently display the telephone number of your local Poison Control Center or hospital emergency room.

Finally, ensure the babysitter's home, or any home where your child spends a lot of time, is also poison-proof.

Here's a Safety Checklist to Help Poison-Proof Your Home:

General Household - Use safety locks on drawers or cabinets that contain harmful products - Empty ashtrays frequently and always keep them out of reach of children - Keep bottles and drinks of alchohol out of reach - Repair peeling or chipping paint - Move poisonous to a safe place, perhaps hanging from the ceiling - Teach even young children never to eat strange plants or berries Bathroom and Medicines - Keep medicine and cleaners in the original, safety top bottles - Don't leave medicines, cosmetics, mouthwash, hair or nail products lying on a bathroom shelf; put them safely away. - Clean out the medicine chest regularly; flush old medicine down the toilet or, better still, take them to a pharmacy that accepts old medicines for safe disposal - Use a prescription drug only for the person for whom it is intended - Avoid telling children that medicine tastes like candy. Keep vitamin pills, which look like candy, locked up

Bedrooms - Keep cosmetics, sachets, perfumes and air fresheners stored safely - Do not keep sleeping pills, birth control pills or other medicines in accessible dresser drawers - Make sure that diaper deodorizers are stored safely Basement and Laundry - Keep all laundry detergents, fabric softeners, starch sprays and bleaches well out of reach - Keep all paint and paint thinners in a locked storage area - If you must use poison to kill rodents, make absolutely certain the poison is out of reach of children and pets Garage and Garden - Keep children away when you use insecticides, weed killers, lye, solvents, paint thinners and cleaning agents - Keep gasoline, oil, and car products in a locked area - Keep insect sprays and weed killers in a locked area - Keep paint and paint thinners in a locked area

When You Suspect Poisoning
If you suspect that someone in your family has been poisoned, do NOT panic. You will need to:

Identify the suspected substance and the amount ingested. Read the safety precautions on the product and follow any instructions for poisoning.

Contact your Poison Control Center, Hospital Emergency Department or your family physician.

If necessary, go to the nearest hospital emergency department. Sometimes going in your own car is faster than an ambulance.

If possible, take the package or container of the suspected poison with you.

Some Potentially Poisonous Household Goods

Cleaning:
Metal cleaners and polishers, detergents, ethylene glycol, dry cleaning fluid, amyl acetate, benzine, carbon tetrachloride, ammonia, copper and brass cleaner, turpentine, cleaning fluids, alcohol, oxalic acid, kerosene, methyl alcohol, naptha, petroleum distillates, window washing fluid, drain cleaners, aerosals, oven cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, gun cleaners, lighter fluid, bleach


Solvents
Paint remover, wax remover, grease spot remover, lacquer remover, nail polish remover, paint thinner, carbon tetrachloride, kerosene, methyl alcohol, turpentine, lighter fluid, petroleum products

Miscellaneous Household Products and Chemicals
Epoxy glue, model cement, garden sprays, insecticides, herbicides, pesticides, stychnine, rat killers, wax crayons, inks, fire extinguishing fluids, rug adhesive, antifreeze, carburetor cleaners, gasoline, anti-rust products, deodorizing tablets, plant food, leather polishes and dyes, shoe cleaners and polishes, jewellery cleaners and cements, laundry bluing

Cosmetics
Nail polish remover, dandruff shampoo, eye make-up, nail polish, corn and wart remover, aftershave, shaving lotions and creams, hair lotions, suntan lotions, resins, cuticle removers, cologne, hair perms, hair dyes, neutralizers, lacquers, skin preparations, plasticizers, hair sprays, perfume

Drugs and Medicines
Narcotics, antiseptics, vitamins, A.S.A., iron medicines, pain killers, rubbing alcohol, corn and wart remover, iodine, tranquilizers, birth control pills, laxatives, children's fever drops, cough syrup

Outdoor Plants and Trees
Daphne, wisteria, golden chain, laurels, rhododendron, black locust, elderberry, azaleas, jessamine, lantana camera (red sage), yew, oaks, wild and cultivated cherries, jack-in-the-pulpit, moonseed, mayapple, jimson weed, buttercup, nightshade (bittersweet), poison hemlock, foxgloves, mushrooms, larkspur, monkshood, autmn crocus, star of bethlehem, lily of the valley, nutmeg, sweet pea, iris, bleeding heart, rhubarb leaves, jonquil

House Plants
Hyacinth, narcissus, daffodil, oleander, arnica, philodendron, dieffenbachia, calla lily, dumbcane, elephant's ear, rosemary pea, castor bean, mistletoe, poinsettia

Children under six are at greatest risk of poisoning - be especially vigilant if you have young children in your household. Reinforce the safety rules with older children - and make it a regular task to check your home for safe poison control.