What to know during National Poison Prevention Week

KCAU TV / Digital Exclusive / John Murphy

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) – The Iowa Poison Control Center will be spreading awareness to the public as part of National Poison Prevention Week.

“Poison prevention pertains to the whole family so, this is our week that we try to promote the awareness of poison centers and prevent poisonings from happening,” said Tammy Noble, education coordinator at Iowa Poison Control.

Education coordinator and registered nurse Tammy Noble said poisonings affect all ages with kids under six being a majority and household cleaners as the common cause.

“And those are the things under the kitchen sink that we are using for cleaning: bleach, out laundry soap, our automatic dishwasher detergents, window cleaner, all of that falls into that category for the little kids,” said Noble.

Parents can prevent poisonings by storing chemicals in locked cupboards and in places out of children’s reach.

There is also the poison control hotline where someone will provide assistance if an unintended poisoning happens.

“We do recommend that people do have that number in their phone because it does help save time and saves the worry and the panic when people have to call that number quickly, they have that number readily available in their phones,” said Noble.