Common Household Poisons
Antifreeze, or ethylene glycol, has a sweet smell and taste that is attractive to children and pets and is highly toxic.
All antifreeze, new and used, must be safely stored to avoid tragic consequences.
- Never make someone vomit if they have ingested anything questionable.
- Rinse your mouth, but do not eat or drink anything.
- Never transfer antifreeze to other containers that children may associate with food or drink.
- Alert others to the potential hazard of antifreeze, especially care givers and grandparents.
If someone has come into contact with antifreeze, call your local poison center at 1-800-222-1222.
Baits are made with different insecticides, but also with peanut butter and other appealing materials for pets and children.
- Never make someone vomit if they have ingested anything questionable.
- Rinse your mouth, but do not eat or drink anything.
- Always store baits away from children’s reach.
- Alert others to the potential hazard of baits, especially care givers and grandparents.
If someone has come into contact with a bait, call your local poison center at 1-800-222-1222.
Toilet bowl cleaner can cause eye, nasal and oral irritation. Make sure that you are in an open, ventilated area during use.
- Never make someone vomit if they have ingested anything questionable.
- Rinse your mouth, but do not eat or drink anything.
- Always store chemicals away from children’s reach.
- Alert others to the potential hazard of toilet cleaners, especially care givers and grandparents.
If someone has come into contact with a toilet bowl cleaner, call your local poison center at 1-800-222-1222.
Bleach can cause eye, nasal and oral irritation. Make sure that you are in an open, ventilated area during use and never mix bleach with another chemical.
- Never make someone vomit if they have ingested anything questionable.
- Rinse your mouth, but do not eat or drink anything.
- Always store bleaching agents away from children’s reach.
- Never transfer bleach to other containers that children may associate with food or drink.
- Alert others to the potential hazard of bleaching agents, especially care givers and grandparents.
If someone has come into contact with a bleach, call your local poison center at 1-800-222-1222.
Cleaners can contain many ingredients that can be a problem if ingested, inhaled or made eye or skin contact.
- Keep all cleaners in a marked bottle with ingredients so that they are not mistaken for a beverage.
- Keep all cleaners out of reach of children.
If someone has come into contact with cleaner, call your local poison center at 1-800-222-1222.
Detergents can cause oral, throat and eye irritation. If a detergent is swallowed, rinse mouth out immediately, or rinse off skin if there is contact with skin.
- Never make someone vomit if they have ingested anything questionable.
- Always store detergents away from children’s reach.
- Alert others to the potential hazard of detergents, especially care givers and grandparents.
If someone has come into contact with detergents, call your local poison center at 1-800-222-1222.
Always store pesticides away from children’s reach, in a locked cabinet or garden shed.
Child-proof safety latches also may be installed on cabinets and can be purchased at local hardware stores and other retail outlets.
- Never transfer pesticides to other containers that children may associate with food or drink.
- Never place rodent or insect baits where small children can get to them.
- Teach children that pesticides are poisons and something they should not touch.
- Alert others to the potential hazard of pesticides, especially care givers and grandparents.
If someone has come into contact with insecticide or pesticide, call your local poison center at 1-800-222-1222.
Detergents can cause oral, throat and eye irritation. If detergent is swallowed, rinse mouth out immediately, or rinse off skin if there is dermal contact.
- Never make someone vomit if they have ingested anything questionable.
- Always store detergents away from children’s reach.
- Alert others to the potential hazard of detergents, especially care givers and grandparents.
If someone has come into contact with laundry detergent, call your local poison center at 1-800-222-1222.
Mothballs can be very dangerous and normally contain one of the following ingredients:
- NAPHTHALENE
- PARADICHLOROBENZENE
Mothballs can be absorbed dermally, so it is very important to wash your hands and clothes if they have been in contact with mothballs.
Keep all mothballs out of reach of children.
If someone has tasted or eaten a mothball, read the box for ingredients and call your local poison center at 1-800-222-1222.
Hydrocarbons consist of cooking gas, gasoline, oil, naphtha, benzene, kerosene, paraffin and lubricating oils.
- Never make someone vomit if they have ingested anything questionable.
- Rinse your mouth, but do not eat or drink anything.
- Always store hydrocarbons away from children’s reach.
- Never transfer hydrocarbons to other containers that children may associate with food or drink.
- Alert others to the potential hazard of hydrocarbons, especially care givers and grandparents.
If someone has come into contact with a hydrocarbon, call your local poison center at 1-800-222-1222.
Follow these tips to cut down the risk of poisoning from plants in your home:
- Put name labels on all indoor and outdoor plants. If a plant is eaten, the poison center will need to know the name of the plant. If you don’t know the name of a plant, check the internet or your local library. Plant nurseries, flower shops and county extension offices can also help you with the names of plants.
- Keep all plants up off the floor and out of reach of children and pets. Pick up and throw away any parts that fall from plants.
- Think about using fake instead of real flowers and plants if young children or pets live in or visit your home.
- Store bulbs and seeds locked away, out of sight and reach of children.
- Never eat any part of a plant if you don’t know for sure that it is safe to eat.
- Teach your children to show all plants and berries to an adult before eating.
- Never chew on jewelry, etc., made from plant parts or let your children do so.
- Don’t trust cooking to get rid of poisons in plants.
- Remember that plants can be a choking danger for children and pets.
Kids’ Corner
Activities can impress upon children what is safe and what isn’t. Have your kids look at the two worksheets below and discuss the dangers.
Click image.
Click image.
3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3026
© 1999-2023 Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. All rights reserved.
