Spotlight On – Poison Prevention (#PoisonPreventionWeek)

Poison Prevention Week

On Friday, Barack Obama made a proclamation about poison prevention. Each year, the third week of March marks National Poison Prevention Week (PPW) in America – and over here in the UK we’re also taking the opportunity to take a look at the issue. The aim of PPW is to educate the public about dangers, and to give preventative advice. According to the WHO, poisoning is the third leading cause of accidental injury death in Europe – so it is important we understand what measures we can take to avoid unintentional poisoning.

This blog post looks at:

• What is poisoning, and what are the symptoms?
• Pharmaceutical poisoning prevention
• Household poisoning prevention
• Carbon monoxide poisoning prevention
• Food poisoning prevention
• Treatment for poisoning

What is poisoning, and what are the symptoms?

The NHS defines poisoning as occurring when “a person is exposed to a substance that can damage their health or put their life in danger.” Each year around 120,000 people in the UK are admitted to hospital as a result of poisoning. Poisons can be ingested, absorbed through the skin, inhaled, splashed into the eye, or injected.

Symptoms vary depending on the type and amount of poison, but common symptoms of poisoning include:

• Vomiting
• Stomach pain
• High temperature
• Drowsiness/fainting

It is important to get medical help immediately if you suspect poisoning may have happened as symptoms can progress rapidly.

Children are particularly at risk because they may not understand the hazards posed by particular substances. According to the European Child Safety Alliance, more than 90% of poisoning occur in the household environment, and many household products can particularly affect children. Children are more at risk from serious consequences because their bodies are smaller, they have a faster metabolism, and their bodies have not yet developed against certain poisons.

The term ‘accidental poisoning’ covers many areas, but some of the most common are accidental pharmaceutical poisoning, environmental poisoning (e.g. plants and insects), food poisoning, carbon monoxide poisoning, and household poisoning. These are the areas we will focus in on in our look at poison prevention.

Pharmaceutical Poisoning

In the UK, the most common form of poisoning is pharmaceutical poisoning. Accidental poisoning by medication can be prevented in a number of ways:

• Make sure you read and understand the patient information leaflet that comes with any medicine you take.
• Ensure to take the correct dosage of medication.
• Ask your GP or pharmacist if you need any further advice about your medication.
• Always check with your GP or pharmacist before combining different medications, as this may cause an unexpected reaction.
• Do not take medicine that was prescribed for someone else – even if your symptoms are similar.
• Keep medicine out of children’s reach.

Household Poisoning

Poisons can be found in many household products, ranging from bleach to nail varnish. Children are especially susceptible to accidental household poisoning. These tips are especially important for a household where children live, but they are also important if children ever visit your home. Some prevention methods include:

• Ensure all cleaning products are stored away from the reach of children.
• Keep potentially harmful cosmetics, such as nail varnish, out of reach of children.
• Don’t store medicines, pharmaceuticals or cleaning products near to food.
• Keep chemicals in their original containers.
• Dispose of old medicines safely.
• Keep tobacco and alcohol products out of sight and reach of children.
• Whenever possible, buy medicine in childproof containers.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) Poisoning

Exposure to carbon monoxide can have serious consequences. The most common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include nausea, headache, dizziness, tiredness, confusion, stomach pain and shortness of breath. However, high levels of CO inhalation cab cause vertigo, ataxia, tachycardia, angina, heart attack, seizures and loss of consciousness. If high levels of carbon monoxide are present, death can occur within minutes. Babies, young children, pregnant women and people with pre-existing medical conditions can be particularly affected. Pets are also more vulnerable to the effects of carbon monoxide. Preventing carbon monoxide poisoning methods include:

• Being aware of, and responding to, symptoms of CO poisoning.
• Install a carbon monoxide alarm to provide an early warning.
• Identifying appliances that might emit CO gas in your home.
• Ensure there is good ventilation, and make sure not to block air vents.
• Do not use gas-powered tools or equipment inside the home.
• Ensure your kitchen has a working extractor fan.
• Ensure anyone carrying out work on appliances in your home is registered with a relevant association, e.g. the Gas Safe Register.
• Chimneys should be regularly swept by a qualified and affiliated sweep.
• Be wary of exhaust fumes – don’t leave petrol-fuelled lawnmowers running in the garage and ensure your car’s exhaust is well serviced and maintained.

Food Poisoning

With over 500,000 cases of food poisoning reported each year in the UK, it is important to understand how to prevent this. In some cases it can even cause serious illness or death. According to the Food Standards Agency, you’re just as likely to get ill from food prepared at home as from food bought from a restaurant, café, or fast food outlet. The NHS say that you can reduce the risk of food poisoning from food prepared at home by:

• Washing your hands
• Cleaning worktops
• Ensure your dishcloths and tea towels are clean and dry.
• Use separate chopping boards and knives for raw food and ready-to-eat food.
• Keep raw meat away from ready-to-eat foods.
• Store raw meat on the bottom shelf of the fridge so that it cannot drip onto other foods.
• Make sure meat is cooked thoroughly, and hot all the way through.
• Don’t wash raw meat such as chicken or turkey as it can spread bacteria around your kitchen.
• Keep your fridge below 5 degrees Celsius to stop bacteria growing.
• Cool leftovers as quickly as possible and store it in the fridge or freezer.
• Follow ‘use by’ dates and don’t eat food that is past its date.

Treatments

It may not always be possible to prevent poisoning – so it is important to know what to do if someone has been poisoned.

Do not try and treat them yourself, but seek proper medical help. Do not put yourself in danger, and do not risk coming into contact with the poison.

If you can provide the medical staff with any information about the poisoning (such as what the poisonous substance was, how much of it the person was in contact with, how long ago, etc.) this may help them in their treatment. More information on the treatment of poisons can be found here.

Unfortunately, accidental poisoning is still a problem, and it is important that we continue to educate people and raise awareness of the issues. Accidental poisonings can be fatal, but if the correct action is taken, they can often be prevented or treated. 

For more information, look at #PoisonPreventionWeek on twitter. 

Follow us on twitter: @safety_matters

REFERENCES:

http://www.nhs.uk

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/03/13/presidential-proclamation-national-poison-prevention-week-2015

http://www.poisonprevention.org

http://www.childsafetyeurope.org