In the United States alone, someone is poisoned every few seconds. 40% of these cases involve children under the age of 3. 50% of these cases involve children under the age of 6. For this reason, it is important to lock up household chemicals in a high cabinet that is out of the reach of children. In 75% of these cases, the poison was a common household product (ie prescription drugs, non-prescription pain killers, vitamins, cosmetics, personal care and cleaning products, house plants, tobacco products and alcohol). Here is a simple check list to use within your home.
Bathroom: medicines, toilet cleaners, antibacterial cleaners, air fresheners, drain cleaners, mold and mildew remover, and some cosmetics.
Kitchen: glass cleaner, antibacterial cleaner, dishwashing detergent, all-purpose cleaner, insect sprays, oven cleaner, and ant or roach baits.
Living Room: flea collars, rug or carpet cleaners, furniture polish, cigarette or cigar butts in ash trays, and alcoholic beverages.
Bedroom: total release insect foggers, air fresheners, and moth balls.
Laundry Room: all-purpose cleaner, insect sprays, chlorine bleach, woodstains and finishes, and laundry detergents.
Garage: motor oil, windshield washer fluid, oil-based and latex paints, auto batteries, antifreeze, spot-on pesticides to control fleas and ticks on pets.
Back Yard: weed killers, pool chemicals including algicides and chlorine, baits for rodent control, insect repellents, and some new bug zappers.
Now that you've taken not of what these products are, it's time to do something about them. Here is what you can do:
First of all, it is very important that you keep all household chemical products and medicines out of the reach and out of the sight of children. These things really should be locked up whenever they're not in use. Remember that medicines and household chemicals on - continued below ...
