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How to Avoid Poisoning Emergencies in Your Home

By Sara Butler

Poison control centers exist for a reason -- there are dangers lurking in every home. To help you keep your home safe for everyone in it, here are a few of the most common poison emergencies that occur in homes and how you can avoid them.

Laundry Pods

Poison control centers everywhere get a lot of calls involving laundry pods -- as in children eating them. These pods are dangerous because they can cause burns and swelling in the airway and throat, even if they don't swallow the entire packet. They can cause lung injuries too. That's why it's essential that you keep laundry pods locked up and away from little hands or away from anyone who may accidentally ingest them.

Cleaning products in general should be kept out of reach. Pods specifically pose a greater danger because they're more concentrated. The danger of laundry pods has become so pervasive that they now come in childproof containers. If you have a child under the age of six, you may want to use regular detergent to avoid the risk.

Button Batteries

Batteries are found in places that are easy to access such as those light up shoes kids love, greeting cards that sing songs, and remote controls. Button batteries specifically are dangerous because of their chemistry. Damage to soft tissues in your esophagus can happen within minutes, so you should never delay if you suspect your child has swallowed a button battery. To help discourage your child from getting into batteries, you should keep any battery-powered devices out of reach or tape the compartments of batteries in devices shut so they can't access them.

Accidental Poisonings

One of the biggest dangers you can create in your household is storing chemicals in other containers. Poison control centers see all kinds of accidental poisonings due to this. From people putting pesticides in glass drink bottles to windshield wiper fluid in a Gatorade bottle. Keep chemicals in the packaging they came in. If you find you must store a chemical in another container, label it clearly and keep it out of the reach of people. Always stay with any chemicals you've poured into other containers and are working with, such as jewelry containers in a cup.

There are dangers lurking everywhere in the home. It's a good idea to identify these dangers and then take steps to keep them out of the reach of your child.

To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Englewood, Colo.

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