It's Poison Prevention Week and AHS is sharing some tips to prevent your kids from getting into poisonous household items.

In 2022, the Poison and Drug Information Service (PADIS) had approximately 55 calls per day for poisonings.

Forty per cent of the calls were for children that were 5-years-of-age or younger.

Many household items such as cleaners, personal care products, batteries, medication are obvious items to protect your children from but cannabis, e-cigarettes, hand sanitizer, detergent pods are also items that can do significant harm if swallowed.

Some of the things you can do to help keep your children safe are:

  • Ensure all medications and potential poisons remain in their original containers and are locked up and out of sight.
  • Use childproof latches on your cupboards.
  • Always put medicines away after use.
  • Keep visitors’ coats and bags out of reach of children, as they might contain medicines. 

Approximately 9 out of 10 poisonings happen in the home.

For more information on preventing poisonings, visit Poison and Drug Information.

If you are concerned that someone has been poisoned, call 911 or PADIS at 1-800-332-1414.