During National Poison Prevention Week, March 20-26, the Environmental Protection Agency wants to remind citizens once again of the importance of properly storing household chemical products like cleaning supplies and insect repellents. Children are, by far, the primary victims of accidental pesticide poisoning. Most poisonings happen in people’s homes and are preventable.

Keep These Common Household Pesticides Out of Children’s Reach

Yes, these are all technically pesticides and are registered by EPA

• Kitchen and bath disinfectants and sanitizers, including bleach
• Products used to kill mold or mildew
• Swimming pool chemicals
• Flea and tick shampoos, powders, and dips for pets
• Weed killers
• Insect repellents
• Rat and mouse poisons
• Roach and ant sprays and baits

Poison-proof Your Home to Protect Children

Lock up all pesticides and harmful chemicals in a cabinet, out of a child’s reach. Install safety latches on cabinets, especially the one under the kitchen sink. When you think you’re done, get down on your hands and knees and look at things from your child’s viewpoint to see if you’ve missed any potential dangers.

Use child-resistant packaging properly by tightly sealing the container after every use. Keep pesticides in their original containers. Never transfer poisonous products into containers that could be mistaken for food or drink such as empty soda bottles. If you’re interrupted while using a pesticide, re-close the package and make sure the container is out of children’s reach while you’re away.

Post the Poison Control Center’s national hotline phone number near every telephone in your home and program it into your cell phone:

Poison Control Hotline Phone 800-222-1222

For more on protecting your children from pesticides, see these Colonial blogs:

• How to Safely Store Pesticides in Your Home
• It’s Your Home – Do You Know Where Your Poisonous Chemicals Are?
• Is Your Home Poison-Proof?