Prevention Counts in Fall and Winter
10/22/2009 | Return to All Current News
Preparing for fall and winter includes winterizing cars and homes, preparing for cough and cold season and getting into a festive spirit with holiday decorating and parties. All of these activities create a change in household routines, and it is during these interruptions when poisonings often occur.
The Oklahoma Poison Control Center advises the following prevention measures to ensure a safe winter season:
- Antifreeze is often used to winterize car radiators and windshield wiper fluid. Even small amounts can be very poisonous if swallowed. Antifreeze has a sweet taste, which appeals to children and animals. If any amount of antifreeze is left over, keep it in its original container with a safety cap and store it in a locked cabinet. When disposing of an antifreeze container, rinse the empty container with water, replace the safety cap and then place it in the trash.
- Salt used on driveways and sidewalks when it snows can be dangerous to a child if consumed. The salt container should be kept with other poisons: up high, out of reach and in a locked cabinet.
- With winter approaching, people also begin putting out mouse and rat poisons as well as ant baits. Remember to keep these and all pesticides out of the reach of young children and pets.
- Medications usually are in greater demand in the winter months than at other times of the year. Children are often attracted to products that are flavored or look like candy or beverages. Cough and cold medication may contain antihistamines, decongestants and cough suppressants. When used incorrectly, they can make children irritable and sleepy. In large doses, they may alter blood pressure and heart rhythm.
- Aspirin or aspirin-containing products should not be used with children under the age of 13 because of the danger of Reye’s syndrome, a life-threatening illness that can affect the liver and brain.
- It also is important to read ingredients of over-the-counter medications to ensure that one is not using two or more products with the same ingredients, particularly Acetaminophen.
- Old glass mercury thermometers may break in a child’s mouth. The mercury found in thermometers is not absorbed into the blood system; however, cuts in the mouth are a concern. The mercury in thermometers is considered a hazardous waste. Thermometers should be disposed at a hazardous waste site. Use digital thermometers to avoid the risk of breaking glass.
The Oklahoma Poison Control Center operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Highly trained pharmacists and nursing staff provide free, confidential poison information and treatment advice to Oklahoma residents and health-care professionals. The poison center is a program of the University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy and is located at OU Health Sciences Center. For more information, log on to www.oklahomapoison.org. To contact the poison center, call (800) 222-1222. Oklahoma City-area residents can call (405) 271-5454.