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The Basics

Poison Prevention at Home Advice to Live By • Adults in the U.S. need • Read the label. Follow directions on a Poison Center every and products. If you need to, 39 seconds. wear your glasses and turn on the light. • The most dangerous • Use safety equipment when needed. for adults over Examples are goggles, gloves, and breathing age 19 are medicines. equipment. • Store products in their original containers. If not, someone might eat or drink them by mistake. Poison Prevention Be Prepared — Just in Case • Put the number on or near your phones. • Tell everyone in your home where to find the number. Be Aware . . . • Call the Poison Control Center right away for any kind of . Poison experts will tell you what to do. for Possible Poisonings Know the Facts! IF . . . DO . . . CALL . . . Someone collapses or stops breathing: 911 Someone swallows the wrong Bring the container to the or too much medicine: phone, if possible. Someone breathes in a poison: Get to fresh air right away. Children aren’t the only ones Someone gets poison in the eyes: Rinse eyes with running at risk from poisoning . . . water for 15 to 20 minutes. 1-800-222-1222 Someone swallows something Drink a small amount of that is not or medicine: milk or water. Someone gets poison on Take off any clothing that the : the poison touched. Rinse skin with running water for 15 to 20 minutes. JMH Education Marketing, Inc., New York, NY York, JMH Education Marketing, Inc., New For more information about poison prevention, visit www.1-800-222-1222.info and www.aapcc.org Sponsored by the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) This program was supported by Cooperative Agreement Number U50/CCU317503-03 from the Brought to you by your local Poison Center U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the 24 hours a day/7 days a week authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Centers for Disease Poison Control Center Toll-free Hotline: 1-800-222-1222 Control and Prevention. ©2003, American Association of Poison Control Centers. This information can be photocopied for educational purposes only. Most people think of children when they think of poisoning. Frequently Asked Questions What is a Poison Control Center? In fact, poisons hurt or kill more adults than children.

Adults are poisoned when they:

• Use household products the wrong way. About Poisons and Poisoning 1-800-222-1222 • Breathe in or touch chemicals What is a poison? A Poison Control Center is an emergency phone service. on the job. Poisons can hurt you – or even kill you – For -saving treatment advice about any kind of poison, call 1-800-222-1222. A specially-trained nurse, pharmacist, • Take too much medicine. if you eat them, breathe them in, get them in your eyes, get them on your skin, or get or doctor at your local Poison Control Center will help. • Take the wrong medicine. them under or through your skin. A Poison Control Center also answers questions about poisons Stay safe from poisons! and poison prevention. All services are: Call the Poison Control Center What are the most dangerous at 1-800-222-1222 to: • 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. poisons for adults? • A call to a Poison • Free to the public. Products and medicines can hurt you if Control Center can • Prevent a poisoning! they are used the wrong way, by the • Confidential. save you a costly trip to • Treat a poisoning! wrong person, or in the wrong amount. • Available to people with hearing the emergency room! For example: problems. • Poison Control experts Read on for more information . . . • Available in languages other even call back to check • Drugs (prescription, non-prescription, than English. on the patient! herbal, illegal, or animal medicines) • Cleaning products that cause burns (drain opener, toilet bowl cleaner, oven cleaner, rust remover) When to Call Your Poison Control Center • Auto fluids (antifreeze, windshield Call 1-800-222-1222 . . . washer solution) • For help with any kind of poisoning. • gas (leaky furnaces • To ask about a poison. and chimneys, gas stoves and water • To ask about preventing poisonings. heaters, generators and space heaters used indoors) • To get phone stickers, magnets, and materials with the Poison Control Center phone number. • Hydrocarbons (furniture polish, lighter fluid, lamp oil, gasoline, paint thinner, kerosene, turpentine) • (weed killers, ant and roach killers, mouse and poisons, garden chemicals) • Wild mushrooms