Poison Safety

Curiosity is a natural stage of child development, but it also puts kids at greater risk of accidental poisoning.

In 2006, more than 1.2 million such poisonings among children ages 5 and under were reported to U.S. poison control centers.

Although household cleaners and medicines are frequent causes of poisoning, children can also be fatally poisoned by iron, alcohol and carbon monoxide.  

Some 90 percent of child poisonings happen in a home.

What You Can Do

Prevention begins with you! There are a few easy steps that you can take to make sure kids are safe from accidental poisoning:

• Keep the toll-free nationwide poison control center number 1-800-222-1222 near every phone.

• Lock up potential poisons out of sight and reach of kids.  This includes makeup, medicine, plants, cleaning products, pesticides, art supplies, and beer, wine and liquor.

• Read labels to find out what is poisonous.  Know which plants in and around your home can be poisonous.

• Buy child-resistant packages when available.

• Install carbon monoxide alarms in all bedrooms and all levels of the home.  Test the alarm batteries monthly.

• In homes built before 1978, test for lead-based paint and get kids tested for lead exposure.

• Download Poison Safety Tips

More about Poison Safety

• Download the Poison Safety Factsheet

• Visit the Safe Kids Poison Safety Web site