Across the United States, around 67,500 kids each year are seen because of accidental poisoning. Of these, around 17 children will die according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Around 85% of poisonings occurred at home.
Overall, around 24 million people call poison control centers every year. Although most of these accidental poisonings do not turn out to be serious, it illustrates just how common accidental poisonings in kids actually are.
To Reduce the Risk of Poisoning, BE AWARE
Be sure to keep household products and medicines out of sight of children in a cabinet or closet that locks or has a child-resistant latch.
Ensure that medicines and all household products remain in their original containers – never transfer to bottles, cups or other non-child-resistant containers.
Ask for and use household products and medicines in child-resistant packaging. Resecure the safety feature carefully after each use.
When storing household products, be sure to choose a location other than where foods and medicines are stored.
Avoid taking medications when children can see you because they tend to imitate adults.
Refer to medicines by their proper names. Medicine is not “candy.”
Ensure that you read the label before using a product.
On a separate note, it is important to point out that Kentucky is one of the unhealthiest states in our nation. A few healthy lifestyle choices could change this.
First, eating normally proportioned helpings of nutritious foods including at least five fruits and vegetables a day can lower weight and reduce heart disease and diabetes. Second, exercising about 30 minutes per day can lower blood pressure. Third, avoiding the use of tobacco products can reduce several types of cancer.
Finally, making sure you get your needed preventive screenings can detect diseases early and greatly increase your chances for a positive health outcomes, while receiving your recommended vaccinations can prevent acquiring disease in the first place. Visit our website at www.LCDHD.org and click the “52 Weeks to Health” banner to learn more about each of these areas.
Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission and Kentucky Poison Control Center: https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/382.pdf
