Friday, May 23, 2014

Around this time every year, the world launches into spring cleaning. So your RIS Consumer Confidant wanted to pass on some words of warning about some underreported home poisoning dangers that might be lurking in your drawers, closets or laundry cabinets.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC.gov) is encouraging consumers to “Prepare and Prevent” exposure to poisonous products in the home this spring.  Annually, an estimated 90,000 children are seen in emergency departments nationwide because of unintentional poison exposures, many of which occur in the home.

To reduce the risk of unintentional poisoning, CPSC has created an online Poison Prevention Safety Education Center to help consumers identify potential poison risks and take simple steps to prevent exposure.

When looking to fully poison protect a home, the CPSC recommends consumers think outside of the box beyond the medicine and kitchen cabinets when it comes to prevention.

Coin-size button batteries used in all sorts of electronics, keyless-entry devices, remotes and gaming controls, musical greeting cards, and other products placed within a child’s reach, have been associated with thousands of pediatric poisoning incidents.

Potentially fatal chemical burns from a coin cell battery lodged in the throat can occur in as little as two hours the agency reports.

The CPSC encourages parents to identify products in the home that carry these small batteries, and to secure any loose batteries found around the house to ensure they are stored safely out of sight and reach.

In the laundry room, new and emerging hazards associated with highly concentrated single-load liquid laundry packets have prompted numerous warnings from CPSC.

These packets have led to thousands of children being treated in emergency departments nationwide due to exposure to the poisonous contents of the packets.

To address this hazard, CPSC has worked with manufacturers on new laundry packets with redesigned packaging. The addition of new, opaque packaging and uniform warning icons is intended to deter a child’s interest in the product and raise consumer awareness of the hazard.

Quick and easy steps, such as placing coin cell batteries and laundry packets out of reach and out of sight of children, can help prevent unintentional poisoning incidents. 

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