Actions That Can Be Taken To Prevent Accidental Poisonings

a. Keep medicines, cleaning agents, and poisons out of sight and out of reach in a locked cabinet.

b. Protect children from exposure to lead-based paint. Watch for paint chips, especially along windowsills and woodwork.

c. Check household and outside areas for exposed medicines, cleaning agents, poisons, gasoline, kerosene, paint products, insecticides, and vitamins with iron. Remove these items from sight and reach and decide where they may be locked away. Plants may also be a source of poisoning and should be moved out of children's reach.

d. Keep cleaning agents in hand when using them and locked up when not in use.

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• Emergency Protocols in Case Of Poisoning or Suspected Poisoning of a Child

a. Try to identify what substance was swallowed and how much was taken.

b. Immediately call the Poison Control Center for advice about first aid treatment of the victim.

c. Follow the advice from the Poison Control Center. Enlist assistance from neighbors if necessary.

d. If the child is to be transported to a medical center, call 911 (or the local emergency number), the local police, or an ambulance service in the family's county. A relative should accompany the child to the hospital. Someone should remain with other children if necessary.

e. Send container from which the child obtained the poison with the medical team. Document for them the time of ingestion, how much poison is thought to have originally been in the container (e.g., number of pills), instructions from Poison Control, and what measures have been carried out.

f. Vomiting should not be induced in the following cases.

1) If corrosive material such as lye or a strong acid has been swallowed

2) If the child is drowsy, unconscious, or convulsive