A poison is anything that can make you sick or kill you if it gets into your body. A poison can get into your body through your mouth, nose, eyes, or skin. Potential poisons are found everywhere, including your home! What can you do to keep yourself and your family safe from poisons? First recognize what potential poisons are in your home. A good way to identify these is to use a checklist available from your local poison control center. In SD Sanford Medical Center has a poison control center which distributes free information, checklists and brochures: (605) 328-6670 or www.sdpoison.org.
Once your home poisons have been identified, store them safely. Use high cabinets with safety locks. Before you use a poison, read the label on the bottle! Keep medicines in their original bottles with child-resistant caps and out of the reach of children. Provide a safe place for visitors to keep their medicines, etc., while they are in your home.
Finally, know what to do in a poison emergency. Keep the POISON CONTROL number on your telephone! SD is 1-800-222-1222. If the person exposed to the poison looks and acts sick, do not hesitate. Take the person and the bottle (or other container, plant, etc.) of the poisonous substance to the nearest emergency room, to receive life-saving treatment.