Nearly 40,000 Iowans call the state’s poison hot-line every year and about three-quarters of them have concerns about possible poisonings in their homes. This has been Poison Prevention Week and Tammy Noble, spokewoman for the Iowa Statewide Poison Control Center, says one way to prevent accidents is to put poisonous chemicals together in a cabinet or in the garage, not next to food, drinks and cooking supplies.
Noble says some people put their insecticide near their vegetable spray and accidentally spray their pans with the bug spray. There was once an Iowa woman who put her glue for fake fingernails beside her eyedrops and accidentally put the glue in her eyes.
Noble says there’s a false myth that kids won’t swallow things that taste bad. Noble says children don’t necessarily spit something out because it tastes bad, whether it’s a medicine or a cleaning solution. Over the years, she says Iowa kids have ingested all kinds of things — some that proved fatal, others that were harmless.
Noble says kids have swallowed: batteries, coins, mothballs, chewing tobacco, bugs and diaper ointment. Also, she says not all poisons taste bad or smell bad, making them even more dangerous. There’s more poison prevention information at the center’s website, " www.iowapoison.org " or by calling the hotline, 1-800-222-1222.