Mid America Poison Control Hotline: 1-800-222-1222

Young children constantly explore the world around them, touching and tasting everything they see. Their natural curiosity and tendency to put things in their mouths increases their risk of death from exposure to medicines and household products. Also, children are smaller, have faster metabolic rates and are less able to tolerate toxic chemicals, placing them at a significantly greater risk of poisoning than adults. Children are also poisoned by lead and carbon monoxide.

Poison centers nationwide provide an invaluable health service when poisonings occur. By safely managing approximately 75 percent of poisoning exposures in the home, poison centers eliminate thousands of needless and costly emergency room visits. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, every $1 spent on a poison center results in a $6 - $9 savings in overall health care costs. In 2002 alone, the Mid America Poison Control Center responded to over 26,000 calls from the State of Kansas and the Kansas City area.

If you suspect a child has swallowed something, check his or her mouth. Remove any remaining poison from the child’s mouth, then call the poison control center toll-free hotline, physician or other emergency medical services. When calling, bring the container of the ingested substance to the phone with you. Call even if you are not sure that the child was poisoned. The poison center staff or emergency personnel will determine if you need to do anything for the child. Do not give the child anything to treat the poison until you have consulted a poison control center or a health care professional. Vomiting can often aggravate the poisoning and cause even greater long-term damage.

For information or emergency poison assistance, contact the Mid America Poison Control Center at 800-222-1222. (TDD – 913-588-6639)

Click here for a Poison Safety Checklist in English or Spanish.

Tips for parents:

• Keep poisonous products locked out of reach. Storing potentially harmful products out of sight and reach — in cabinets with safety locks — is one of the best ways to prevent poisonings.
• Know which household products are poisonous. Something as common as mouthwash can be poisonous due to its alcohol content if a child swallows a large amount.
• Stay alert while using poisonous household products. Many poisonings occur while adults are using a household product like a bathroom cleaner or bleach. Adults should know where children are when these products are in use. Never leave a child alone in a room with a poisonous product. It takes only seconds for a poisoning to occur.
• Never refer to medicine or vitamins as candy. Referring to medicine as candy could cause a child to think that it is harmless or pleasant to eat. Since children tend to mimic adults, avoid taking medications in front of them. Vitamins, particularly those containing iron, can also be poisonous to children. Keep them out of your child's reach at all times and carefully monitor their use.
• Throw away old medicines and other potential poisons. Discard old medicines on a regular basis by flushing them down the toilet. Check your garage, basement and other common storage areas for cleaning and work supplies that you do not use or no longer need and dispose of these items.
• Beware of certain cosmetics and personal products. In addition to medicines, children may be tempted to taste cosmetics and personal care products. Store items such as after-shave, cologne, perfume, hair spray, shampoo, artificial fingernail remover and fingernail polish remover out of reach.
• Keep products in original containers. Never put potentially poisonous products in something other than their original container where they could be mistaken for something harmless.
• Buy child-resistant packaging. Child-resistant caps do not guarantee that children cannot open a container, but they do deter children and increase the time that you have to stop them before they swallow a poison.
• Keep poisonous plants out of reach. Learn which plants in and around your house are
  poisonous, and either remove them or make them inaccessible to children. Teach children never to put leaves, stems, bark, seeds, nuts or berries from any plant into their mouths. Household plants that are often involved with poisonings are dumbcane or dieffenbachia, philodendron and pothos or devil's ivy.
• Install carbon monoxide detectors in the home. Install CO detectors in your home in every sleeping area, and on the ceiling at least 15 feet from fuel-burning appliances. Ensure that space heaters, furnaces, fireplaces and wood-burning stoves are vented properly and inspected annually. If your family experiences symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning (often similar to flu symptoms) get into fresh air and call for medical help immediately.
• If your home was built before 1978, test your children for lead exposure and inspect your home for lead paint. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 6,400 children under the age of six in Kansas have elevated blood lead levels from ingesting dust from deteriorating lead-based paint and other sources of lead. Cover lead paint with a sealant or hire a professional abatement company to remove the paint. Wash children’s hands and faces, as well as toys and pacifiers, frequently to reduce the risk of ingesting lead-contaminated dust. For more information contact the KS Lead Poisoning Prevention Program 1-866-UnleadedKS or www.unleadedks.com
• Teach grandparents and relatives to take precautions. Grandparents' medicines can be very dangerous for children. Grandparents should take appropriate precautions while grandchildren are visiting. Before the visit, ask them to purchase a bottle of ipecac syrup to keep on hand, and to post phone numbers to the national poison control center, 1-800-222-1222, and their local physician near all of their telephones.

Just for Kids: