SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — Watching out for potential dangers can save lives. That’s exactly what the Iowa Poison Control Center is doing as part of poison prevention week.
Poison prevention week raises awareness nationwide about common poisons. Poisoning is most common in children under the age of five, but it can happen to anyone of any age by overdoses and self-harm.
“The safest thing, especially in kids, is to keep those medications up and away and locked and out of sight of kids,” Houselog said. “That’s also including things we don’t always think about. Even if you have kids in your home or maybe you don’t have kids in your home or maybe you have grandkids, just taking extra steps to make sure that your home is safe.”
Calls are crucial for the Iowa Poison Control Center. These calls involve exposures in pain relievers, antidepressants, sedatives, hypnotics, antipsychotics, cleaning substances, cardiovascular drugs, antihistamines, cosmetics, alcohols, stimulants, street drugs, and dietary supplements.
Houselog said that while anyone at any age may be at risk for poison injury, kids are especially vulnerable.
Last year, there were 23,000 human exposures to poison. These exposures typically impact children under the age of six and adults 20 to 59 years old.
One thing to do if someone has experienced an exposure to poison is to contact the center as soon as possible.
“First of all, give us a call, and we are here to help manage the situation and figure out what is going on, and what sort of steps do we need to take.” Houselog said.”Does somebody need to go to the hospital? Is it something we can watch at home and really kind of access the situation overall?”
If one experiences a poison injury, the center has trained toxicologists, nurses and pharmacists as well as oversight by the medical toxicologists who are board-certified and can help in any issue involving this.
The center serves the entire state of Iowa, including all 99 counties. Anyone can call 1-800-222-1222 at any time for urgent concerns or questions.