Prescription drugs, aspirin and aspirin substitutes, cold medicines, furniture polish, detergents, drain and oven cleaners and house plants are being ingested by Utah youngsters every day - sometimes with tragic results.
The Intermountain Regional Poison Control Center encourages all homeowners - whether children are living with them or not - to make their homes poison-safe.Karen Shores, poison information specialist, offers some ideas to do just that:
-Store all medicines and household chemical products out of the reach of children, preferably in a locked or child-proof cabinet. Don't underestimate a child's climbing ability.
-Always use safety closures for the dangerous materials, but do not rely solely on them. Make sure the caps are tightly closed and the product out of reach.
-Keep all products in their original containers. If a harmful substance is accidentally ingested, the poison center staff will need information from the product label in order to accurately assess the situation.
-Many of the children's products on the market are sweetened or flavored. Never tell children that medicine is "candy." Try to impress on children that medicine can be dangerous if they take too much.
The 24-hour-a-day, toll free poison center number is 1-800-456-7707.