Poison prevention tips

Here are our tips how you can prevent poisoning at your home:
- Store medicines and cleaning products in their original containers and away from food
- Lock medicines and household products where children cannot see or reach them
- Use extra child-resistant packaging – don’t rely on packaging
- Use medicine only as directed by your doctor or the label
- Never share or sell your prescription drugs
- Never prepare or give medication to a child in the dark (you may give the wrong dosage)
- Try to keep a record of how many pills are left in a prescription container
- Call medicine by its proper name, not “candy”
- Identify poisonous plants in your house and garden and place them out of reach of children
- Wear protective clothing (gloves) if you spray pesticides or other chemicals
- Never mix household products together (can cause dangerous gases to form)
- When you’re cleaning or using household chemicals, never leave the bottles unattended if there’s a small child present
- Don’t leave alcoholic drinks where kids can reach them
- Discard used button cell batteries safely (alkaline substances are poisonous)
Remain calm and call the ambulance and give the following information:
- the victim’s age and weight
- the container or bottle of the poison if available
- the time of the poison exposure
- the address where the poisoning occurred
Stay on the phone and follow the instructions from the emergency operator or poison control center