Ensuring child safety is a top priority for parents and caregivers. Accidental poisoning from medications, cleaning supplies, and personal care products is a significant concern, especially for curious children. Childproofing your home to prevent accidental poisoning is essential because many everyday substances can be dangerous if ingested by a child.
What Common Household Products Can Cause Accidental Poisoning?
Many household products can be poisonous if children ingest or misuse them. Identifying potentially harmful substances and understanding the risks of accidental poisoning is the first step to keeping kids safe. Here is a list of common household products that can be potentially harmful and lead to accidental poisoning if misused.
Household Cleaning Products
- Bleach and other cleaning sprays
- Laundry and dishwasher detergent pods that can look like candy
- Air fresheners and deodorizers that come as gels, sprays, or plug-ins
Medications and Vitamins
- Prescription drugs like painkillers, antidepressants, and heart medications
- Over-the-counter medications like cough syrup, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and cold medicines
- Vitamins and supplements, especially in gummy form
- Topical medications, creams, ointments, and oils
Plants and Natural Substances
- Common houseplants, like philodendron, dieffenbachia (dumb cane), pothos, oleander, and peace lily
- Wild mushrooms
- Essential oils
Foods and Beverages
- Even small amounts of alcohol can be dangerous for children
- Caffeine products like energy drinks, diet pills, or coffee grounds
- Nicotine products like vapes, e-liquids, or nicotine gum or patches
- Marijuana edibles or other drugs that resemble candy or baked goods
Garage and Outdoor Products
- Paints, solvents, and thinners
- Antifreeze (ethylene glycol) has a sweet taste but is lethal if swallowed
- Gasoline, kerosene, and motor oil
- Fertilizers, weedkillers, and pesticides
- Pool chemicals like chlorine, acids, and shock treatments
Household and Personal Care Items
- Cosmetics, perfume, mouthwash, nail polish remover, and hair dye
- Art and craft supplies like paint, glue, and solvents
- Jewelry and toys can be harmful if swallowed and may contain lead or other poisonous metals
- Button batteries can be particularly harmful if swallowed
How to Prevent Accident Poisoning?
We can all take precautions to child-proof our homes and reduce the risk of accidental poisoning.
- Use child-proof cabinet locks to safely store potentially harmful products in cabinets or drawers.
- Ensure all containers are properly labeled
- Properly dispose of unused or expired medications, cleaning products, and other hazardous substances
- Research the plants in and around your home to identify any that are toxic to children or pets.
- Teach children about the dangers of using or ingesting hazardous substances and the importance of asking an adult before touching or consuming anything
- Keep the following numbers near the phone (for yourself and caregivers) in the event a child is accidentally poisoned:
- Poison Control Hotline: 1-800-222-1222
- Your child's doctor's number
- Parents' work and cellphone numbers
- Neighbor's or nearby relative's number (if you need someone to watch other kids in an emergency)
What to Do in the Event of Accidental Poisoning
If a child is accidentally poisoned, stay calm and act quickly. Remove the poisonous chemical from the child’s reach and check their breathing and alertness. Do not try to make the child vomit or give them food unless instructed by a medical professional. Call the Poison Control Hotline and the child’s doctor. If the child is unconscious, having trouble breathing, or having seizures, call 9-1-1 immediately or go to the nearest emergency room. Bring the container or label of the suspected poison with you to help doctors identify and treat the exposure.
Contact an Accidental Poisoning Attorney at Robenalt Law Today
If your child was seriously injured from accidental poisoning, contact a poisoning attorney at Robenalt Law today. We have offices in Cleveland and Columbus, and can discuss your situation and the legal options available.
Call our Cleveland office at (216) 223-7535 or our Columbus office at (614) 695-3800 or contact us online.
