FM firefighters issue poison guidelines

Fort Madison, IA – Some poisonous products, such as household cleaners, are obvious. But the list doesn’t end there, and some of the items on it might surprise you. The top five poisonous household products include hand sanitizers, button batteries, laundry detergent packets, e-cigarettes and medications.

Fort Madison Firefighters warn that these items pose a bigger risk than you may think. For example, just two to three squirts of certain hand sanitizers can make children really sick – even to the point of alcohol poisoning.

“Poison control centers manage more 17,000 hand sanitizer exposures in children under 12 years old,” says Lt. Chad Hannum.

Children have a way of getting into everything, even household items that can be dangerous. In fact, nine out of 10 poisonings occur in the home.

“It’s important to know which items pose serious dangers and to take the right steps to help protect your kids,” says Lt. Chad Hannum.

Your Fort Madison fire fighters have joined Nationwide’s “Make Safe Happen” campaign to create greater awareness of the dangers of everyday household products and protect children against preventable accidental poisoning.

For more information about poison prevention, visit http://makesafehappen.com/safety-tips/poison-prevention-kids

If you have any questions about poisoning, call 1-800-222-1222 or call 9-1-1 for potentially life-threatening situations so fire fighters are available to respond quickly when lives are in danger.