Prevention Tips

Banner Good Samaritan Poison and Drug Information Center handles more than 100,000 from people who have poisoning or drug-interaction question.

Here are some general poison prevention tips that can keep you and your family safe.

• Keep children safe.
• Be safe with your medicines
• Use  and store home products safely
• Protect your home from carbon monoxide

• Learn which creatures are poisonous or venomous

Keep children safe.

• Always know where your children are and what they are doing.
• Keep children away when you are using poisons, strong household cleaners or medicine.
• Put items back immediately after use.
• Use child-resistant tops on household products and medications.
• When giving children medication be sure to use the right dropper or medicine spoon. Don’t use a kitchen spoon to measure medicine.
• Poison proof ahead of your child's growth. Remember, rapid growth and development  bring new poison proofing challenges.
• The age most likely to get poisoned is 17months of age.
• Poison proof by keeping all poisonous household products and medications up, out of sight, and locked.
  • All medicines (even the ones you buy without a doctor’s order)
  • Drain and oven cleaner
  •  Anti-freeze
  •  Windshield washer fluid
  •  Gasoline and kerosene
  •  Paint and paint thinner
  •  Alcohol ( the kind people drink)
  •  Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl)
  •  Cigarettes
  •  Bug spray
  •  Eye drops
  •  All glue ( remember super glue and nail glue)
  •  Mouthwash
  •  Houseplants

 Be safe with your medicines

• Talk to and listen to your doctor about the medicine you are taking – what is it for and when to take it.
• Keep track of what you take. Have a method to know when you have taken a medicine.
• Don’t mix pills in a bottle.
• Don’t share your medicine with anyone else.
• Do not leave prescription and over the counter medicines available to teenagers.
• Seniors that take many medications are at high risk of having a medical problem from taking them incorrectly.

 Use and store home products safely

•  Read and follow the directions on the label for all cleaners and chemicals.
•  Look for words like Danger, Poison, Caution,     Warning, and Keep Out of Reach of Children.
•  Don’t mix cleaners together.
•  Open a window if products have a strong smell. 
•  Or use them outside.
•  Keep all products in the bottle or package they came in, with the label.
•  Store poisons away from food. Keep the lids closed tight.
•  Keep poisons locked away or out of reach of children and pets.

Protect your home from carbon monoxide

•  Be careful with these things that give off CO/ Carbon Monoxide.
  • Gas or wood cooking stoves – do not use them to heat the house.
  • Have gas furnaces and gas water heaters checked each year.
  • Propane gas or kerosene room heaters.
  • Do not leave cars and trucks running in the garage even with the garage door open.
  • Barbeque and gas grills should not be used inside for cooking or heat.

 Learn which creatures are poisonous or venomous

• Bark scorpions are one of 56 types of scorpions in Arizona and the only one that can cause major medical problems.
• Rattlesnakes can be around the house if you live in areas next to open land.
• All feral (natural) bees are africanized.