Poison Prevention

In Alberta, there are an average of 3,235 emergency department visits and 184 hospital admissions among children and youth each year due to poisoning.¹

Children are more susceptible to poisoning because they are smaller in size and have faster metabolic rates compared to adults. Unintentional poisoning can occur in children in a number of ways. For instance, poisoning can occur if children take too much or the wrong medicine, or if the child eats or drinks a harmful substance. Children may also be poisoned if they inhale or touch a harmful substance, as some poisons may be absorbed through their skin.

There are things adults, parents and caregivers can do to help prevent poisoning. Key strategies to prevent poisoning in children include the following:

1. Keep poisons locked up tight and out of sight. Household items that can be particularly harmful to children include prescription and over-the-counter medication, alcohol, and cannabis edibles, which have been legal in Canada since late 2019. Other items that can be toxic to children include vitamins, cosmetics, cleaning products and disinfectants, fertilizers and pesticides, wild mushrooms, and some plants and berries.

a. Products like medicines and cannabis should be stored up high, out of sight, and out of a child's reach. Using a lockbox or locked cabinet provides additional protection.
b. Keep all potential poisons in their original containers, and use child-resistant locks on cupboards where these items are stored.

2. Guests entering into a home may bring common items with them that can be poisonous to children. Examples of these items include prescription and over-the-counter medication, bug spray, cigarettes, nail polish, liquid nicotine (used in e-cigarettes), perfume and cologne. Guests may carry these items in their jacket, backpack, or purse. When having visitors, store guests’ jackets and bags out of the reach of children to prevent children from unintentionally being exposed to medicine or other poisonous products.

3. Medicines and cannabis edibles can be attractive to children because of their size, colour, and similarity to other products, like candy. For example, vitamins and cannabis gummies are commonly available, making it more difficult for children to tell the difference between potential poisons and candy.

a. Never refer to medicines or vitamins as candy.
b. Take medicines and cannabis edibles out of sight from children. Children model the behaviours of adults.
c. Ensure all medicines, vitamins, and cannabis edibles are stored in child-resistant containers. Remember, child-resistant does not mean child-proof. With enough time, even young children can open child-resistant containers.

4. Explain to children that they should only take medicine from an adult that they trust.

5. Explain to children that if they don’t know if something is safe, always ask an adult before eating or drinking it.

6. Teach a child to tell an adult if they find something they think may be poisonous. If a child is concerned that someone may have been exposed to a poison, they should tell an adult.

7. If you think someone has been poisoned, call Canada's toll-free number for the poison centres: 1-844-POISON-X (1-844-764-7669).  If you call while in Alberta, you will be connected with the Poison & Drug Information Service (PADIS). The staff at PADIS will help determine if a person has been poisoned, and whether or not they require emergency health services.

a. For a landline telephone, write the number for the poison centres near the phone so it is easy to find in the event that someone is exposed to a poison.
b. For a cellphone, save the number for the poison centres in your contacts.