Every year thousands of children are poisoned by common household products such as insect sprays, cleaners, paints, bleach, perfumes and medicines. More than half of these poisonings involve children under age five.
March is observed as Poison Prevention Month across the U.S. to call attention to the dangers of household poisonings. Oswego County Legislature Chairman Barry Leemann recently presented a proclamation for Poison Prevention Month to members of the Oswego Children’s Board.
The Upstate Poison Prevention Center suggests the following precautions:
• Keep all medications in their original containers, even if it is almost empty.
• Store medicines in a cool and dry place since heat and humidity can affect their
potency.
• Antibiotics that are reconstituted at the pharmacy might require refrigeration. If so take extra precautions to store them away from other food products.
• Separate your medications in the medicine cabinet. Keep OTC medicines on one shelf and prescriptions on another.
• Avoid mixing medicines with other first aid and beauty products when possible.
• Dispose of expired or out-of-date medicines. Look for medicines which have a noticeable change in color or smell; and those with illegible or missing labels and package instructions.
For additional information, contact the Upstate Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222 or visit the center’s Web site at http://www.upstate.edu/poison/.
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