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March Tips of the Month: Make Your Home
SaferPost the
Poison Control number 1-800-222-1222 on or near every
phone.
Keep poisonous products,
such as cleaning products or medicines out of a child's reach
and locked in a cabinet.
When cleaning, do not leave
poisonous products where your children can get to them.
Don't create new cleaning
solutions by mixing different products designed for other uses.
Buy child-resistant
packaging for all medicines, cleaning agents and any product
that would be potential poison for a child. Child resistant caps
do not guarantee that children cannot open a container but may
deter them from trying or slow them down long enough for you to
intervene.
Throw away any cleaning or
other products that you do not use or do not need.
Throw away old medicines by
flushing them down the toilet.
Never refer to medicine as
candy.
Beware of certain cosmetics
and personal products that can be poisonous such as after-shave,
cologne, perfume, hair spray, shampoo, artificial fingernail
remover and finger nail polish remover.
Always read labels and
follow the exact directions. Give children medicines based on
their weights and ages, and only use the dispenser that comes
packaged with children's medications.
Teach grandparents and
relatives to take precautions when visiting or when a child is
visiting them in order to prevent poisonings. Do not place
medicines on a bedside table or next to a chair or couch. Keep
medicines locked up out of the children's reach.
Know which plants are
poisonous in and around your home. Either remove the poisonous
plants or make them inaccessible to children.
Install carbon monoxide
detectors in your home. If the alarm sounds, leave the house
immediately and call the fire department, local utility company
or emergency medical services from a neighbor's phone.
If your home was built
before 1978 have it tested for lead-based paint. Cover the lead
paint with a sealant or hire a professional to remove it. Wash
children's hands and faces, toys and pacifiers frequently to
reduce the risk of ingesting lead contaminated dust.
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