community newsletter from the Comprehensive Children's Injury Center 
SPRING 2016
Timely Topics
Poison Prevention Week: March 21st - 25th
With Spring just around the corner, we are often encouraged by the nice weather to clean out old items and wipe down our home from floor to ceiling. This is a great time to also look around and inspect our homes for any medicines or harmful household products that may not be stored correctly or may have expired. Each year, over 2 million people - more than half under the age of 6 - swallow or have contact with a poisonous substance. In honor of this year's Poison Prevention Week, we have shared tips from the National Poison Prevention Week Council to assist in preventing you or your child from having a poison-related injury:
  • Always store medicines and household products (e.g. bleach, cleaners, pesticides, etc.) away and out of sight from children and ensure children can't use chairs or stack items to climb to products stored out of their reach.
  • Program the Poison Help number, 1-800-222-1222, into your phone; and when you leave your children in a babysitter's care, ensure he/she knows about the number. This national toll-free number works anywhere in the US, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
  • Install safety latches on cabinets used to store medicines and household products that may pose a threat to children.
  • Re-close medicines and other poisonous household products after each use. If you get interrupted, remember to close the medicine or product immediately because many incidents happen when adults are distracted when using these products (e.g., by the telephone or the doorbell).
  • Teach children to always ask an adult before eating, drinking or touching anything.
  • Install carbon monoxide and smoke detectors near or in your home's sleeping areas and on every level of your home.
Interested in more great tips?  View the American Academy of Pediatric's list of tips from last year's Poison Prevention Week.

Poison Prevention - Medicines can be Poisonous

As the medication industry develops new products, we see more and more that look like different types of candy. For this reason, it is all the more important to keep them up and out of reach from children and teenagers to reduce the number of unintentional poisonings.
  • While at home or while traveling, keep pursues, briefcases, or bags that contain medicines up high, away, and out of sight from your children.
  • Never call medicine "candy" to get a child to take it. Always tell them what it is and why you must be the one to give it to them.
  • Never make medication easily accessible to a child by leaving it out on a kitchen counter or at a sick child's bedside. 
  • Buy products in child-resistant packaging whenever possible. But remember, child-resistant is not childproof.
  • Never "borrow" a friend's medicine or take expired medicines.
  • Clean out the medicine cabinet periodically, and safely dispose of medicines that are expired or no longer needed.
  • Use only the measuring device (dosing cup, dosing syringe, or dropper) that is included with your medicine. If a measuring device is not included or you do not receive one, ask for one from your pharmacist. Don't substitute another item, such as a kitchen spoon.
For more medication safety tips , visit the Safe Kids website.
Poison Prevention - Household Cleaning Products

Just because household cleaning products help to eliminate germs, it does not mean that they, themselves, cannot be harmful as well. Take care to follow the tips below to reduce your child's chances of accidentally ingesting various items that you may use around your home.
  • Keep cleaning products in their original container with their original label intact.
  • Always close all household cleaning product containers immediately after use.
  • Children are usually curious and explore all new things that they find in the home. Take care to keep laundry and other cleaning products out of reach of young children.
  • Have your child tested for lead. Symptoms of lead poisoning may not be obvious right away, but behavior and learning problems can develop if high levels are left untreated. Call your local health department for more information.
  • Wash children's hands, toys, pacifiers and bottles often. Store food in a separate area from household cleaning products and chemicals. Mistaking one for the other could cause a serious poisoning.
  • Keep batteries, magnetic toys, and other magnetic items away from small children. Call the poison center right away if you suspect a child has swallowed a battery or a magnet.
Visit the CDC's website f or more great tips on how to prevent poisonings from household products and other items.
Partner Spotlight
Working Together to Build a Safer Cincinnati


Since Fall 2014, the CCIC and Santa Maria Community Services have collaborated to achieve their common goal of keeping children safe in the home. Since the partnership began, the two organizations have planned three Home Safety Days for families in the Price Hill community. Through those Safety Days alone, this partnership has provided 65 homes with the home safety bundle, education, and installation to assist those families in keeping their little ones safe. Interested in participating in one of their Safety Days? We will be back in Price Hill later this year, so look out for information about volunteering!

Santa Maria staff members and block captains have also been instrumental in continuing the outreach on a regular basis through their Healthy Homes: Block by Block program, where block captains go door-to-door to talk with families about the importance of safety and offer the equipment and education.

In addition, the CCIC and Buckle Up for Life programs also partner with Santa Maria to offer car seats to families in the Price Hill community. By completing a one-hour class on child passenger safety, families in the community are able to receive a new car seat for each child in need of a seat.

An enormous "thank you" goes out to all the staff members at Santa Maria for all their hard work and collaboration!
Join Our Cause
Stay Current with News in the World of Safety
Want to get all the latest safety updates? Like CCIC's Facebook page! Our hope is to provide you, our readers, with additional tips, stories, and photos as they relate to keeping the little ones in your life safe.

You can also utilize this resource as a way to ask us questions related to injury prevention for your children. If you ever want to clarify car seat installation instructions, check on the latest home safety equipment available, or learn how to select the proper size of helmet for your children - we are literally a Facebook message away!

What are you waiting for - head on over to our  Facebook page and "LIKE US" now!
Upcoming Events
Mark Your Calendar!
PIN Home Safety Day

Saturday, May 7th

We are kicking off our Home Safety Day season in Norwood! Learn more about volunteering for the event, or register your home  for a safety visit!  
Free Car Seat Check

Friday, May 20th

The CCIC will be partnering with Sharonville Fire Department to host a free car seat check event from 10 am - 12 pm. Stop by and have your car seats checked by certified child passenger safety technicians!
Playground Build

Saturday, May 21st

The CCIC is working with the Avondale Boys and Girls Club to build a new playground at their facility. We'd love to see you all for this exciting event. Interested? Learn more about volunteering!

Expert Advice
Promoting Poison Prevention Awareness
Ask an Expert
Nichole Aldridge, MEd
Injury Prevention Coordinator

Q: How can I keep young children safe around medication in my home? 

A:  Approximately 60,000 kids under the age of 5 went to the ED for medicine related poisonings last year; with the majority of the medications belonging to parents or grandparents. These poisonings occur in the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom due to medications being left out, safety caps not being locked, or daily pill organizers being used.

To prevent these poisonings, here are some things to keep in mind: 
  • While daily pill organizers are helpful in organizing medications, they are meant to be easily opened. Furthermore, with their bright and eye catching colors, they often look like toy boxes that are used to store crayons, crafts, and smaller toys.
  • Instead of keeping medication in daily pill organizers, consider keeping them in the child resistant bottles.
  • Make sure the safety cap on medicine bottles is locked; and be sure to always re-lock the safety cap after each use. 
  • There is always the chance that children may be able to open these medicine bottles, so store them properly: up, away, and out of sight of children. 
  • Call the poison center with the number below right away if you think your child might have taken medicine, even if you are not completely sure.  
Following these few simple steps to prevent poisonings from happening can be life-saving. 
The Doctor is In
Rob Goetz, PharmD
Drug and Poison Information Center

Q: What are the concerns related to flavored nicotine products for use in e-Cigarette devices. 
 
A:  A new concern for childhood exposure to nicotine has occurred as e-Cigarette use has become a popular alternative to traditional tobacco products. The nicotine solution used in e-Cigarettes, or "Juice", as it is sometimes called, is available in variable strengths of nicotine. Some of these products are prepared in candy, fruit, or even dessert flavors and labeled with cartoon-like or a colorful appearance that are likely to capture a child's attention. Child resistant closures are optional, though many suppliers have begun to provide at least this level of safeguard. 

The concern with nicotine solutions for use with e-Cigarettes is that children could mistake the solution for candy given the attractive flavors and packaging, and easily swallow too much solution. Unfortunately, the child could then become poisoned with nicotine before an adult realizes what has happened. The potential for severe internal damage is definitely present with these products.
  • As with all poisons, nicotine liquids for use in e-Cigarettes should be handled with an understanding of their attractiveness to children, as well as respect for the danger they present in the home. 
  • They should be kept out of sight and up high out of the reach of children.
  • Anyone whose child has ingested even small amounts of these products should call the poison center at the number below, or take their child to the Emergency Room immediately.

www.cincinnatichildrens.org/ccic  · 513-636-7865, "Option 1"