Protecting children from exposure to poisonous substances is essential. More than one million poisonings in children under age five years are reported to poison control centers annually. More than 100,000 of these poisonings result in hospitalization.

Children are at risk for serious consequences from poisoning because of their natural curiosity. One way they explore is to put everything they encounter in their mouths. Children also mimic their parents’ or caregivers’ behaviors, and so they are attracted to the cosmetics, cleaning supplies, and medications that they see adults use.

When exposed to poison, children are more likely to have serious consequences than adults because they are smaller, they have faster metabolic rates, and their bodies are less capable of handling toxic chemicals. As a result, their bodies absorb the toxins in poisonous products more readily than adults’ bodies and they can become ill very quickly.

Many common substances and items are considered poisonous. A poison is any substance--including solids, liquids, sprays, and gases--that can cause an unintended symptom. “Toxic” or “poisonous” does not necessarily mean the substance is deadly. A substance is toxic or poisonous if it can cause any negative symptom, even if only a mild rash.

Poisonings occur most commonly when the parent or caregiver is distracted for a moment. Remember, children act fast, and so do poisons! While most poisonings take place in the home, childcare providers also must be diligent about keeping potentially poisonous products or plants out of reach of young children. Here are some suggestions to help protect the children in your care from poisonous products:

• All cleaning or aerosol products should be considered poisonous to young children and must be stored appropriately and out of children’s reach. Keep cleaning products in original labeled containers. Discard old, leaking, odorous, or unidentified products.
  
• Cosmetics and personal care products are the most commonly reported substances ingested by young children. Personal care products such as perfume or cologne, hair spray, shampoo, mouthwash, nail polish remover, and cosmetics, should be kept out of reach and out of sight of children.
  
• All prescription and over-the-counter drugs, cough syrups, skin ointments, vitamins, and dietary supplements should be kept in their original labeled containers and stored in locked cabinets. No medication, whether intended for children or adults, should ever be referred to as “candy.”
• Art materials and other creative materials should be certified non-toxic and intended for use by children. The Art and Creative Materials Institute, Inc. (ACMI) is recognized as the leading authority on these types of materials. ACMI has evaluated more than 60,000 art and craft materials, and 100 percent of the children’s products and 85 percent of those meant for adults are certified as non-toxic. They are not intended for ingestion, however, so all such materials should be kept locked up and out of reach of children. In addition, old or expired materials should be discarded regularly. The ACMI website provides a searchable database for a variety of arts and crafts materials.

Although many plants are ingested each year, serious poisoning from the plants is extremely rare in both children and adults. Although very few plants are capable of causing severe poisoning if eaten in small amounts, as is usually the case, many plants are still toxic. For example, oleander, castor beans, daffodil bulbs, delphinium, foxglove, jimson weed, angel’s trumpet, mistletoe (especially berries), and western yew are toxic.

Any plants that cannot be clearly identified as non-toxic should be removed from children’s environments. Teach children never to eat leaves, stems, bark, seeds, nuts, or berries unless an adult has identified it as safe. Never assume a plant is safe because birds or other wildlife eat it. Know the names of all plants in your childcare environment. The staff at your local nursery or garden shop or cooperative extension service may help with plant identification. If a plant has toxic berries or other parts, it should be removed from the childcare setting.

Mushrooms and other fungi can be extremely toxic. Teach children to avoid touching or eating any mushrooms they may find outside. Check children’s outdoor play areas, especially after rainfall, and remove any mushrooms regularly.

Young children playing outdoors also may eat insects. While most insects are harmless, some can cause illness if ingested. If you suspect a child has eaten an insect, call Poison Control. Never use pesticides around children.

The Poison Control Center’s national toll-free hotline, 800-222-1222, connects you directly to your local poison control center. Poison treatment and prevention experts are available at the center daily around the clock. Keep the phone numbers of the poison control center and emergency medical service next to each telephone. If the victim has collapsed or is unconscious, call 911.

Some 30 children die every year due to accidental poisonings, and approximately one million phone calls are placed to Poison Control Centers annually by adults seeking help when children have swallowed something harmful. If you call the Poison Control Center, have the following information ready:

• The child’s age and weight and any symptoms of suspected illness.
• The name of the product and ingredients ingested. Take the product container with you to the telephone.
• How much of the product was ingested.
• The time when the ingestion occurred.
• Your name and phone number.

Remain calm! The Poison Control Center or doctor will tell you what to do next.

If you suspect that a child may have ingested something toxic, immediately remove anything from the child’s mouth, call the Poison Control Center, and stay with the child.

In case of poisoning, do not induce vomiting. As of November 2003, the American Academy of Pediatrics no longer recommends that ipecac syrup (which induces vomiting) be used routinely as a poisoning treatment. Why the change? Neither vomiting nor ipecac has ever been proven effective in treating poisoning, and it may be administered incorrectly.

Elaine Abrams, Certified Health Education Specialist and Public Health Professional

The American Association of Poison Control Centers has available Quills Up--Stay Away! A Poison Awareness Program designed for preschool children. Included are a video, take home materials, a puppet and caregiver guide. All of the materials can be downloaded from www.poison.org/prevent/preschool.asp or call 800-222-1222.

American Association of Poison Control Centers; 800-222-1222; www.aapcc.org

Arts and Creative Materials Institute (ACMI), PO Box 479, Hanson, MA 02341-0479; 781-293-4100; www.acminet.org

Poison Prevention Week Council, PO Box 1543, Washington, D.C. 20013; 301-504-7058; www.poisonprevention.org

American Academy of Pediatrics National Poison Prevention Week; www.aap.org/family/poisonwk.htm