It’s National Poison Prevention Week, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Poison Prevention Week Council are using the designated dates of March 16-22 to educate parents about the dangers of unintentional poisonings, most of which occur at home.

It happened to me
I was probably about 13 years old when my parents decided to invite some friends over to help do a thorough cleaning of the carpets in our home. While they took a break, I was left in charge of my four younger sisters, including a two- and a one-year old.

The two-year old decided she was thirsty and refused water, so I poured her a small cup of Vernor’s soda pop that I found on the kitchen counter.

It wasn’t until after she vomited in a plant that my parents realized what had happened: I had actually given my little sister a cup of the extra carpet cleaning solution they had poured into an empty Vernor’s two-liter. The stuff just happened to also be the exact same color as the pop, itself. Not a good coincidence.

Lots of tears and a frantic call to poison control left us shaken but much more aware of why parents should never place poisonous products in food or drink containers.

My sister was fine and it has since turned into a funny family story, but not everyone is so lucky.

Scary Statistics
Did you know that more than 2 million poisonings are reported each year to the 61 Poison Control Centers across the United States. From 2002 through 2004, approximately 36 children under the age of five died each year after ingesting poisonous substances, such as medicines and cleaning supplies, found in the home.

And in 2005 alone, more than one million calls were placed to poison control centers and about 91,000 children visited hospital emergency rooms. Curious children ages six and under are most affected by non-fatal accidental poisonings.

In fact, poisonings are one of the leading causes behind deaths in young adults.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the following list includes the most dangerous potential poisons:

• Medicines
• Cleaning products
• Antifreeze
• Windshield wiper fluid
• Pesticides
• Furniture polish
• Gasoline
• Kerosene
• Lamp oil

Prevention Year-round
While the third week in March is nationally designated to highlight the dangers of poisoning and how to prevent them, parents are urged to educate themselves to ensure year-round poison prevention for their children.

Little kids are curious creatures, and their homes are their first learning environments. And as we all know, if they can reach it, it will usually end up in their mouths.

Here are a few tips from the CPCS and the AAP to help parents keep their kids safe all year-round:

• Keep household chemicals and medicines out of sight and out of reach, locked away for safety.
• When using household cleaning products, medicines, or other personal care items, be sure to keep your children in your sight at all times. If the doorbell rings or you need to use the restroom, take your child with you.
• They might be pretty but to little ones, lamps and candles are extremely dangerous to young children. If ingested, lamp oil can be very toxic to little bodies.
• Never refer to your medicine as “candy” to your child. If possible, avoid taking it in front of them, as well.
• Check the label each time you give your child medicine to make sure they are receiving the correct dosage.
• If your child has ingested a poisonous substance and is unconscious, not breathing, or having convulsions or seizures, call 911 or your local emergency number. For instances in which your child has no or mild symptoms, call your local poison control center at (800) 222-1222.