Most poisonings occur in the home and involve medications or household items commonly found in all of our homes. If someone using such a product gets distracted by a ringing doorbell or phone, for example, it takes only a few seconds for a young child to reach the item and eat or drink it. Children are at highest risk of accidental poisonings because they are naturally curious; they are attracted to the colors, scents and labels of products, and frequently put objects in their mouths as a way of learning about and exploring the world around them. Children also imitate adults; they see you using something around the house and try to be like you. However, they cannot read or understand warning labels, so they use adult products in dangerous ways.
Close supervision and proper, secure storage of all poisons are critical to the safety of all children. In addition to obvious poisons such as cleaning solutions and antifreeze, remember that many common items found in all of our homes can be equally dangerous when used improperly, including medicines, vitamins, nutritional supplements and personal-care products such as skin cream, cosmetics and cologne.
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