Center offers poison prevention services in 28 counties
GALVESTON, Texas - The week of March 15-21 is National Poison Prevention Week, and the Southeast Texas Poison Center wants to bring attention to the proper handling of household chemicals, medications, plants, various animals, fertilizers and other substances. When these products are not used as intended or not disposed of properly, they can be hazardous, even deadly, especially to young children.
Poison Prevention Week has been observed for the past 47 years.
Located at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, the SETPC is one of a network of six regional centers established by the Texas Legislature to provide prevention and emergency treatment information to state residents and health-care providers concerning poisonings or toxic exposures.
Last week, in Little Rock, Ark., 10 children at a daycare facility were poisoned by windshield wiper fluid that was mistaken for Kool-Aid. Many hazardous products and their packaging look identical or similar to safe products. For examples, pine cleaners can look like apple juice, many plastic milk jugs are identical to bleach bottles and various cleaning detergents can be mistaken for soft drinks.
According to Jon Thompson, director of the SETPC, "Windshield wiper fluid may contain methanol, a chemical antifreeze. Methanol is highly toxic to humans and pets if swallowed, absorbed through the skin or if its fumes are inhaled."
Methanol (also known as wood alcohol or methyl alcohol) also may be found in other automotive products, fuels, paints, varnishes, shellacs, wood strippers and solvents. As little as two tablespoons can be fatal to a child, and two to eight ounces can be fatal for an adult. The ultimate outcome for the patient will depend on how much was swallowed and how quickly appropriate care can be given.
Thompson advises keeping all automotive products and poisons out of sight and reach of children. Always store windshield wiper fluid and other chemicals in their original containers and do not use food containers such as milk jugs or soda bottles to store household and chemical products.
Anyone with a question about poisons may call the national toll-free hotline at 800-222-1222 to reach nurses, pharmacists, paramedics and physicians who have extensive education, training and expertise in the field of clinical toxicology or poisoning. These specialists in poison information have access to a comprehensive database of thousands of substances, both pharmaceutical and nonpharmaceutical, that they can reference as they manage each exposure call or request for information.
The American Association of Poison Control Centers operates the hotline. It works similarly to 911 in that calls are directed to the nearest poison center, which is available 24 hours a day and has the capability to translate calls from a variety of languages, including Spanish.
The center is funded by the Texas Department of State Health Services, the Health Resources and Services Administration in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as well as public and private donations. For more information, visit http://www.poisoncontrol.org/. To learn about more mistaken identity products, call the SETPC at 800-222-1222 or visit www.utmb.edu/setpc.