The Sconi

Organizations around the country are recognizing Poison Prevention Month, which is mean to raise awareness for poison prevention and educate the public on how to prevent poisonings in the home.

Though poisoning may sound like an abstract concept that doesn't pose much of a risk, the CDC reports that the No. 1 cause of injury deaths for adults ages 25 to 64 since 2009 is unintentional poisoning.

In Wisconsin alone, the poison center reported more than 35,000 calls in 2020. These statistics highlight the fact that poisoning is a much more common occurrence than many believe. 

One of the most common sources of poisoning is mishandled medication. 

“Accidentally taking a second dose of medications. If you have trouble with that having blister packs and having Monday through Friday packs are pretty important for adults,” Dr. Jocko Zifferblatt said.

For children, the danger lies with cleaning supplies and other chemicals. Mayo Clinic ER physician Dr. Paul Horvath said that many times, an encounter with the wrong cleaning product can quickly turn into a hospital visit. 

“Kids tend to find medications or chemicals around the house and are of course curious and want to taste and try things. So, they unintentionally have a poisoning,” he said.

The main problem here is education. To children, cleaning chemicals and products are often kept in colorful, fun containers that look friendly. If parents can know what to look for, how to keep those products away from their children and how to educate their children on what products to avoid, they can help prevent accidents. 

Another thing that parents can do is to child-proof their house, keep cleaning products out of reach, or keep dangerous chemicals in separate rooms where children won't encounter them. 

Looking for signs that the child has ingested something harmful is also key. The faster the parent can recognize that there is danger, the faster they can get help. 

“They’ll see their kids have put something in their mouth, they may see a little residue around their lips or on their tongue and that can be a common thing. The third thing I would point to would be nausea and vomiting. Obviously, when you put toxins in your body your body wants to get rid of them,” Horvath said.

If you suspect poisoning, it’s a good idea to pick up the phone and call the Wisconsin Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or visit their website. It could come in handy to have the packaging of the substance that has been ingested to better help the poison control operator gauge the situation.