Gearing up for summer fun!

MAY NEWSLETTER

Real Poison Center Case

A father recently bought a new house with a pool. He was unfamiliar with precautious that needed to be taken when cleaning his pool. To his surprise, he didn't think much of it when he started shocking his pool with chlorine and started coughing. He called the poison center for help. The specialist in poison information assessed him over the phone and let him know that since he is a healthy man, he can step away from his pool and go into the bathroom and turn on a hot shower to relieve the irritation that he is experiencing. He was instructed to stay in the bathroom full of steam for 30 minutes to help his coughing.

A few things to keep in mind when cleaning your pool with chlorine this summer is to always add the powder to the pool water and never the water to the powder. If the latter occurs, something called "chemical wetting" will happen. This can cause a dangerous reaction and potentially be life threatening.

Pool Safety

With summer around the corner, more and more people are wanting to jump into the pool. Before jumping in, it's good to know a few facts to keep everyone safe this summer! The chemicals used in the pools are there to keep the pool clean and clear from algae and other gunky stuff we don't want in our pools. Here are a few safety tips to make sure pool chemicals don't become a hazardous chemical.

When using the pool chemicals, make sure you are in a well ventilated and open space
Be sure to avoid direct contact with the eyes or skin when handling pool chemicals.
If eye or skin exposure does happen, immediately rinse the eye or affected skin area for 15 minutes with lukewarm water.

Summer Poisoning Prevention Tips

The month of May kicks off the with warm weather and Memorial day. Here are some summer prevention tips to keep you and your family safe!

Plants: 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.

Mushrooms: 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.

Poison Ivy: 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.

Snakes: Bitten by a snake? Avoid tourniquets and suction. Seek immediate medical attention & call poison control for guidance.

Barbecue safety: Charcoal lighter fluid is dangerous if swallowed. It easily seeps into the lungs and can cause a severe pneumonia. Keep lighter fluid and other hydrocarbons (gasoline, kerosene, paint thinner, lamp oil, baby oil, furniture polish) away from kids!

Alcohol: Keep the alcoholic drinks away from children! Alcohol causes a child's blood sugar to drop, leading to seizures, coma and even death.

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.

Most importantly, put the poison control number (1-800-222-1222, U.S. only) in your phone.

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