Deming Headlight (New Mexico)

SANTA FE – National Poison Prevention Week began Monday and the New Mexico Department of Health reminds parents to store hazardous materials (including cleaning products and medication) out of children’s reach.

“It is natural for children to explore their surroundings, but very dangerous if they’re getting under the kitchen sink or into the medicine cabinet where hazardous chemicals and adult medicines are kept,” said Department of Health Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Catherine Torres. “Almost half of poison exposures for children under the age of 5 are caused by medicine.”

Approximately 100 children (14 years of age and younger) die each year from unintentional poisoning and poison control centers in the United States receive 1.2 million calls annually as a result of accidental poisoning (of children ages 5 and under). Nearly 90 percent of these toxic exposures occur in the home, and 56 percent involve non-pharmaceutical products such as cosmetics, cleansers, personal care products, plants, pesticides, art supplies, alcohol and toys. Active supervision and childproofing your home are necessary to keeping children safe.

Safe Kids New Mexico reminds parents to learn the toll-free poison control center number: 1-800-222-1222 and to keep it near every phone in your home and programmed it into cell phones. “This number connects you to the local poison control center from anywhere in the United States, “said Safe Kids New Mexico coordinator, John McPhee. “If a child is choking, having trouble breathing or having a seizure, call 911 instead. Follow the 911 operator’s instructions. Do not induce vomiting or give the child any fluid or medication unless directed.”

Safe Kids New Mexico is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations dedicated to preventing accidental injury. Safe Kids New Mexico was founded in 1991 and is led by the New Mexico Department of Health.

KEEP KIDS SAFE

Safe Kids New Mexico offers these additional tips:

Store potentially poisonous household products and medications locked out of children’s sight and reach, and dispose of them properly when they are no longer needed.

Read labels to find out what is poisonous. Potential hazards include makeup, medicine, plants, cleaning products, pesticides, art supplies and beer, wine and liquor.

Never leave potentially poisonous household products unattended while in use.

Be aware of poisons that may be in your handbag. Store handbags out of the reach of young children.

Buy child-resistant packages when available. Keep products in their original packages to avoid confusion. Read labels to learn if a product is poisonous and for first aid information.

Never leave kids alone with an open container of something you wouldn’t want them to eat or drink. A child can be poisoned in a matter of seconds.

Don’t refer to medicine or vitamins as candy and don’t involve children as “helpers” with adult medications.

Choose medicines and products that have child-resistant caps and when you are giving medicine to your children, follow dosage directions carefully.

For more information about poison prevention, call 505-827-2582 or visit www.safekids.org

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