The vast majority of poison exposures occur in the household. In fact, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, nearly 90 percent of all exposures are home exposures. These typically involve ingestion of household products (cosmetics, cleaning supplies and personal care items), as well as drug interactions, food poisoning, and acute overdoses of prescription and non-prescription drugs.

Jerry Leikin, MD, a Medical Toxicologist at NorthShore, recommends the following steps for helping to reduce your and your family’s risk of poison exposure:

• Carefully read product labels and directions. Be sure that you are aware of any adverse effects or cautionary recommendations.
• Be aware of tampered products when doing your shopping. Avoid buying products that have a broken seal, torn label or noticeable packaging defects.
• Be mindful of your household product inventory. Be certain that products are stored correctly, are properly discarded and do not interact with other products you may be using.
• Be conscientious of your surroundings – both indoors and outdoors. As best as you can, limit your exposure to poisons (cleaning supplies, cosmetics, chemicals, poisonous plants, etc.).
• Install working, UL-approved smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home.

What precautionary methods do you employ at your house to reduce your risk to poisons? Do you frequently make changes to your home environment to safeguard your home?