People of any age can become ill if they come into contact with certain medicines, household pesticides, chemicals, cosmetics, or plants. But children are at a greater risk for unintentional poisoning death and exposure than adults. This is because children are smaller and have faster metabolic rates than adults. Children are less able physically to handle toxic chemicals. They are also more naturally curious, which can lead them to explore and ingest various substances.

Young children are poisoned most often by things in the home. These include:

• Medicines. Blood pressure medicines, diabetes pills, depression medicines, iron pills, and pain medicines are among the most common medicines that can cause severe reactions and death in small children.
• Cleaning products.
• Plants.
• Cosmetics.
• Pesticides.
• Paints and solvents.
• Batteries.

Carbon monoxide poisoning and lead poisoning also pose a threat to both children and adults. Although serious reactions can happen in all cases of poisoning, most people are not permanently harmed if they are treated right away.

Nearly 9 in 10 unintentional poison exposures happen in the home. Most poisonings happen when caregivers are not paying close attention or watching children as closely as usual. Medicines and cleaning products should be stored in locked containers or cabinets with safety latches that are inacccessible to young children. Never place poisonous products in drink or food containers.

If you find your child with an open or empty container of a toxic substance, your child may have been poisoned. Stay calm, act quickly, and follow these guidelines:

• Get the poison away from the child.
• If the substance is still in the child's mouth, make them spit it out or remove it with your fingers. Keep this along with any other evidence of what the child has swallowed.
• Don't make the child vomit. Do not give your child syrup of ipecac or charcoal. These are no longer recommended for home treatment of poisoning.
• Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 right away to get connected to a local poison control center. Do not follow instructions on packaging regarding poisoning because these are often outdated.
• Go to the closest emergency room right away if you suspect your child may have swallowed a button battery.

Call 911 right away if your child has symptoms such as:

• A sore throat.
• Trouble breathing.
• Dilated (larger than normal) or constricted (smaller than normal) pupils.
• Drowsiness, irritability, or jumpiness.
• Nausea, vomiting, or stomach pain without fever.
• Lip or mouth burns or blisters.
• Unusual drooling.
• Strange odors on your child's breath.
• Unusual stains on your child's clothing.
• Seizures or unconsciousness.

Take or send the poison container with your child. This is to let the doctor know what your child swallowed. Both the poison control center and your child's doctor will need some information, including:

• Your name and phone number.
• Your child's name, age, and weight.
• Any health conditions your child may have.
• Any medicines your child may be taking.
• The name of the substance your child swallowed. Read it from the container and spell it.
• The time your child swallowed the poison (or when you found your child), and the amount you think was swallowed.
• Any symptoms your child may be having.
• If the substance was a prescription medicine, all the information on the label, including the name of the medicine.
  • If the name of the medicine is not on the label, give the name and phone number of the pharmacy, and the date of the prescription.
  • Describe what the pill looked like (if you can tell) and if it had any printed numbers or letters on it.
• If your child swallowed another substance, such as a part of a plant, as much as you can tell to help identify it.

If your child spills a chemical on their body, remove their clothes and rinse their skin with lukewarm, not hot, water. Continue rinsing for at least 15 minutes, no matter how much your child may protest. Then call the poison control center (1-800-222-1222) for more advice. Do not put ointments, butter, or grease on the area. Note: Chemicals do not cause the same degree of effects. Some are non-irritants, while others can cause severe corrosive injury.

Call 911 right away for a chemical burn that:

• Is deep.
• Covers an area larger than 3 inches (about 8 cm) in diameter.
• Covers the hands, feet, face, groin, buttocks, or a major joint.

Give the chemical container or the name of the chemical to emergency care providers or take it with you to the emergency room.

Flush the eye by holding the eyelid open and pouring a steady stream of lukewarm, not hot, water into the inner corner of the eye near the nose. Be sure that the head is tilted with the affected eye down, so that the water does not run into the other eye. If this is a child, you may need help from another adult to hold the child while you rinse the eye. Or wrap your child tightly in a towel and hold your child under one arm. Continue flushing the eye for 15 minutes, and call the poison control center (1-800-222-1222) for more instructions. Don't use an eye cup, eye drops, or ointment unless the poison control center tells you to do so.

In the home, poisonous fumes or gases can be breathed in from sources, such as:

• A car running in a closed garage.
• Leaky gas vents.
• Generators.
• Wood, coal, or kerosene stoves that are not working properly.
• Mixing bleach and ammonia together while cleaning, which makes chloramine gas.
• Strong fumes from other cleaners and solvents.

If your child breathes in fumes or gases, get them into fresh air right away.

• If your child is breathing without a problem, call the poison control center (1-800-222-1222) for more instructions.
• If your child is having difficulty breathing, call 911 or your local emergency service (EMS).
• If your child has stopped breathing, start CPR and do not stop until your child breathes on their own or someone else can take over. If you can, have someone call 911 right away. If you are alone, perform CPR for 2 minutes and then call 911.

Be prepared for a poisoning emergency by programming the poison control center telephone number (1-800-222-1222) into cell phones and posting the number in your home.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission requires safety caps on a variety of commonly used household products. These products, all oily hydrocarbon products, are thin and slippery and can easily suffocate children if the substances are drawn into their lungs when drinking them. The products can cause chemical pneumonia by coating the inside of the lungs. Products that are required to have a safety lid include:

• Baby oils.
• Sunscreens.
• Nail enamel dryers.
• Hair oils.
• Bath, body, and massage oils.
• Makeup removers.
• Some automotive chemicals (gasoline additives, fuel injection cleaners, and carburetor cleaners).
• Cleaning solvents (wood oil cleaners, metal cleaners, spot removers, and adhesive removers).
• Some water repellents containing mineral spirits used for decks, shoes, and sports equipment.
• General-use household oil.
• Gun-cleaning solvents containing kerosene.
• Liquid nicotine containers.

Oil products that are thicker and more "syrupy" are not a problem, since they are not easily inhaled into the lungs.