Poisons in Your Home

What is a poison?

They come in four forms: solid, liquid, spray, and invisible (gas). You have some of each of these poisons present in your home. Do you know how to recognize them? Do you know what to do if someone is harmed by them?

Identifying Poisons
Solid poisons include medicine, plants, powders (like laundry soap and automatic dishwasher detergent), granular pesticides and fertilizers. It is anything in your home, basement, or garage that could be poisonous if ingested or harmful to skin or eyes.

Liquid poisons include lotion, liquid laundry soap, furniture polish, lighter fluid and syrup medicines (liquids may be thick or thin). Pay special attention to liquids--a large quantity can be swallowed in a short period of time and they are absorbed rapidly.

Sprays may include insecticides, spray paint and some cleaning products. Aerosol sprays may be flammable, explode and cause damage to the heart and lungs if inhaled. This can include hairspray, deodorants, and air fresheners.

Invisible poisons are gases or vapors. Carbon monoxide from hot water heaters and furnaces, exhaust fumes from automobiles, fumes from gas or oil burning stoves, and industrial pollution in the air are some of the invisible poisons.

To learn more about the products you have in your kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and garage you can check each product at Health & Safety Information on Household Products. This Web site has a Household Products Data Base. This data base will give you all the information you may need to know about a specific product. First it gives you the brand and manufacturer information, including telephone numbers. Then you get health effects and handling and disposal information.

Health effects include the warning from the label, acute health effects, chronic health effects, carcinogenicity, and first aid treatments. Handling and disposal gives detailed information on how to safely handle the product and dispose of it. Finally are the ingredients from the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and label.

This same site gives you access to the MSDS where you can search by symptoms.

What to do if someone is poisoned

1. Perhaps the most important thing one can do if someone is poisoned is to stay calm and think clearly.
2. Have the Poison Control number posted where it is easy to find. For advice if someone's poisoned, call your local Poison Center at (1-800-222-1222) or call your doctor.
3. Have the following information ready:
Child's condition
Name of the product and ingredients
How much of the product was taken

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