Be prepared.
Save your poison center's number: 1-800-222-1222 (US only).
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Store medicines and products in their original containers.
Topical pain relievers for sunburn often contain anesthetics - pain relievers that can cause seizures if swallowed. Make sure they are in child resistant containers and kept out of reach of small children.
Foraging in the woods? Camping out? Don’t eat it unless you are certain you know that plant! Plant look-alikes can fool the best of us. For example, wild carrots or parsnips resemble hemlock.
Avoid wild mushrooms. Get your mushrooms from the market. Only experts can tell the poisonous ones from the safe ones. The most toxic mushrooms, called “death caps” (Amanita species) may be growing in your own yard. Just a few bites can cause fatal liver damage.
Keep poison ivy out of your camp fire! The smoke from burning poison ivy contains the toxic oils, causing blisters inside your nose, throat and airways.
Bitten by a snake? Avoid tourniquets and suction. Call your poison center for guidance.
Barbecue safety: Charcoal lighter fluid is dangerous if swallowed. It easily seeps into the lungs. Keep lighter fluid and other hydrocarbons (gasoline, kerosene, paint thinner, lamp oil, baby oil, furniture polish) away from kids!
Keep the alcoholic drinks away from children! Alcohol causes a child’s blood sugar to drop, leading to seizures, coma and even death.
Mind the medicines when you travel or have visitors in your home. Suitcases or purses may contain dangerous medications, often without even a child-resistant closure.
Picnic safety: Keep cold foods cold, in a cooler and in the shade. Do not consume perishable foods that have been left out for more than two hours – or more than one hour if the temperature is over 90 °F.
Avoid areas sprayed with a pesticide until the pesticide has dried for at least one hour.
The spotted lanternfly is an insect species native to parts of China and Vietnam. The insect itself does not bite or sting. It is not known to be toxic to humans but could cause upset stomach if ingested. Potential side effects of ingesting small amounts of spotted lanternflies are nausea, vomiting, constipation, abdominal pain, and loss of appetite. These symptoms are self-limited and do not typically require treatment.
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Skunks spray to repel potential predators with a foul-smelling, oily secretion stored in their perianal glands. For humans, it usually does not result in much more than short-term irritation. In dogs, in addition to irritation it can rarely cause a more serious condition in which the red blood cells are destroyed. Leaving skunks (as well as all wildlife) alone and making your home less attractive and inaccessible to them are the keys to prevention.
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There are old mushroom hunters, and there are bold mushroom hunters. There are no old, bold mushroom hunters.
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Scombroid poisoning occurs when people eat fish that were not properly stored. The appearance and taste of the fish is usually normal and cooking or freezing the fish cannot prevent scombroid. Scombroid poisoning can be scary and uncomfortable, but most people recover with simple treatment.
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Ice packs are common household items; some are intended for single-use only, while others are intended to be reused many times. Typically, unintentionally swallowing some of their liquid contents usually causes minor effects such as mouth irritation. However, depending on the ingredients and the amount swallowed, ice packs do have the potential to cause toxicity.
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Although they are pretty, Virginia creeper and wisteria can be harmful if they are chewed or swallowed. Both plants can cause mouth pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea and should not be eaten.
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Pest strips are typically made out of either glue on a paper backing or a porous strip impregnated with an organophosphate insecticide. Glue may stick to the skin or get in the eyes, but is unlikely to result in significant toxicity. However, exposure to organophosphates can be very toxic, causing muscle weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, and coma.
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DEET is an insect repellant which helps prevent bites, and illnesses, from mosquitos and ticks. There are rare reports of health problems associated with the use of DEET, but most have been because of using the product incorrectly. The potential risks of West Nile Virus, Lyme disease, and other diseases caused by infected insects surpass the slight risks associated with DEET.
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Ticks are most active during warmer months (April-September), but tick bites can happen during any time of the year. Ticks live in grassy, wooded, brush-filled areas or even on animals. Tick exposure can happen in your own backyard. See a healthcare provider if you experience fever, rash, or aches within a few weeks of a tick bite.
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Ticks are experts at feeding on your blood and, in return for your generosity, transmitting disease to you. There are several different kinds of bacterial, viral, and parasitic diseases transmitted by ticks, and tick-borne diseases are on the rise. Prevention is key: do what you can to prevent them from having access to you.
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