Preventing poisonings in the home Published March 25, 2010 By Maj. Karl Ott 366th Medical Support Squadron MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho -- Below are some simple precautions parents can take to protect children and pets against accidental poisonings. · Post the telephone number for your poison control center near your phone, in a place where all family members are able to find it quickly in an emergency. In Idaho: 1-800-222-1222. · Remove all nonessential drugs and household products from your home. Discard them according to the manufacturer's instructions. · If you have small children, avoid keeping highly toxic products, such as drain cleaners in the home, garage, shed or other places children have access to. · Buy medicines and household products in child-resistant packaging and be sure that caps are always on tight. Do not remove child-safety caps. Avoid keeping medicines, vitamins or household products in anything but their original packaging. · Store all of your medicines and household products in a locked closet or cabinet-including products and medicines with child-resistant containers. · Crawl around your house, including inside your closets, to inspect it from a child's point of view. You'll likely find a poisoning hazard you hadn't noticed before. · Never refer to medicine or vitamins as "candy." · Make sure visiting family and friends, or other caregivers keep their medications away from children. For example, if Grandma keeps medications in her purse, make sure the purse is out of children's reach. · Keep a bottle of syrup of ipecac in your home-this can be used to induce vomiting. Use it only when directed by a poison control center. · Avoid products such as cough syrup or mouthwashes that contain alcohol-these are hazardous for young children. Look for alcohol-free alternatives. · Keep cosmetics and beauty products out of children's reach. Remember that hair permanents and relaxers are toxic as well. Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Carbon monoxide (CO) is an invisible, odorless, poisonous gas that can cause sickness and death. The gas is produced by the incomplete burning of fuels such as natural gas, oil, kerosene, coal and wood. Fuel-burning appliances that are not working properly or are installed incorrectly can produce fatal concentrations of carbon monoxide in your home. Every year, more than 200 Americans die from CO produced by fuel-burning appliances, and several thousand go to emergency departments for treatment for CO poisoning. The following tips can help prevent CO poisoning: · Install carbon monoxide alarms near bedrooms and on each floor of your home. If your alarm sounds, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission suggests that you press the reset button, call emergency services (911 or your local fire department), and immediately move to fresh air (either outdoors or near an open door or window). If you learn that fuel-burning appliances were the most likely cause of the poisoning, have a service person check them for malfunction before turning them back on. Refer to the instructions on your CO alarm for more specific information about what to do if your alarm goes off. · Symptoms of CO poisoning are similar to the flu, only without a fever (headache, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath). If you experience any of these symptoms, get fresh air immediately and contact a physician for proper diagnosis. Also, open windows and doors, turn off combustion appliances, contact emergency services, and take the steps listed above to ensure your home's safety. · To keep carbon monoxide from collecting in your home, make sure that fuel-burning equipment, such as furnaces, stoves, or heaters work properly, and never use charcoal or other grills indoors/in the garage. Do not leave your car's engine running while it's in the garage, and consider putting weather stripping around the door between the garage and the house. In Idaho, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare contracts with the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center (RMPDC; 1-800-222-1222) to provide poison and drug hotline information. Please call this number at any time with poisoning questions/concerns.