Poison Prevention Week

National Poison Prevention Week is March 16 – 22, 2014.

An estimated 90,000 children are treated in emergency rooms nationwide and about 30 die each year due to poison-related incidents. The good news, many of these poison-related incidents are preventable.

The first step in prevention is identifying poison danger. Nine out of ten times unintentional poisoning incidents occure in the home, and many involve commonly used medicines and household chemicals.  Simple steps such as keeping products in original containers, properly sealed after each use and stored up and away and out of child’s reach and sight can go a long way in preventing unintentional exposure. It is also important to know what to do in case of exposure.

For more information about poison awareness, download 50+ Poisoning Prevention Tips.

You can also like the Poison Prevent Week Council on Facebook or follow the hashtag #PreventPoison on twitter.

The Arkansas Poison Center’s website by The University of Arkanasas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy also has more information and a section to order free materials for your home.