Level 2

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 poison 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. 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. Remove 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.

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

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

5. 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.

6. 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.

i. 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.
ii. For a cellphone, save the number for the poison centres in your contacts.

References

* This lesson plan has been adapted from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)’s RiskWatch Safety Program on Poisoning Prevention.
1. Injury Prevention Centre. (2019). Database held by Injury Prevention Centre (unpublished data, available upon request). Edmonton. AB: Injury Prevention Centre.

GRADE 3 - Physical Education and Wellness Curriculum

ORGANIZING IDEA

Safety: A lifetime of optimal well-being is supported by prioritizing health and safety.

GUIDING QUESTION

How is safety connected to health?

LEARNING OUTCOME

Students investigate and explain safety and its correlation to health.

Proactive planning includes:

  • wearing appropriate and protective gear
  • awareness of instructions and guidelines

Specific rules or guidelines can:

  • determine a course of action
  • prevent accidents
  • protect safety of self and others

Experiences that involve challenges and taking risks can develop knowledge around safety.

Resources that support personal safety include:

  • safety networks
  • emergency services
  • safety manuals or guidelines

Safety involves prevention that requires proactive planning.

Rules and guidelines can promote safety in various contexts.

Safety is impacted by the environment and behaviours.

Safety of self and others can be met through awareness of supports.

Examine situations that require proactive planning.

Explain the function or purpose of specific rules or guidelines within various contexts.

Generate examples of situations where behaviours would be appropriate and others where they would involve risk.

Identify available resources that support safety.

GRADE 4 - Physical Education and Wellness Curriculum

ORGANIZING IDEA

Safety: A lifetime of optimal well-being is supported by prioritizing health and safety.

GUIDING QUESTION

How can taking responsibility impact safety?

LEARNING OUTCOME

Students analyze and explain responsibility and how it can impact personal and group safety.

Responsibility includes making decisions to ensure self or others are not in unsafe and uncomfortable situations.

Responsibility occurs in a variety of contexts, such as:

  • home
  • learning environment
  • community
  • online

Responsibility includes making decisions when dealing with and handling a variety of substances.

Responsibility includes the opportunity, ability, or right to act independently or make decisions.

Responsibility includes an awareness of surroundings to determine the safety of a situation.

Describe responsibility and its impact on personal and group safety in a variety of contexts.

Examine how responsibility can impact safety in a variety of situations.

GRADE 4 - Science Curriculum

ORGANIZING IDEA

Matter: Understandings of the physical world are deepened thorough investigating matter and energy.

GUIDING QUESTION

How can materials be managed safely?

LEARNING OUTCOME

Students investigate management of waste materials and describe potential personal and environmental impacts.

Symbols are used to identify dangerous materials.

Hazard symbols used to identify dangerous materials can include:

  • explosive
  • flammable
  • corrosive
  • poisonous

Dangerous materials may be solids, liquids, or gasses.

Some natural and processed materials may be dangerous and can be harmful to individuals' health and to the environment if misused or disposed of unsafely.

Identify dangerous products or materials used at home, at school, and in the community.

Interpret consumer chemical hazard symbols.

Specify practices that individuals can follow to ensure personal and community safety from dangerous materials.

Learning Objectives

  1. To identify 3 rules for poisoning prevention.
  2. To identify hazard symbols and apply poisoning prevention strategies.

Key Messages

  • Only take medicine from an adult that you trust.
  • Keep poisons in their original container, locked up, high, and out of sight.
  • Be symbol savvy - know how to identify hazard symbols.

Required Materials / Teacher Preparation

1. Copy of the IPC’s ‘Symbol Savvy’ presentation slides Slides are available at: Symbol Savvy Presentation Grades 3&4.
2. White board, flip chart paper, or SMART board.
3. Paper, pencil crayons, and markers.

Time Required to Teach Lesson

  • Approximately 45 minutes.

Safety Considerations

  • None.

Activities

1. Explain to the class that "there are lots of different dangerous chemicals that can be found in the home. Some of these chemicals include cleaning products like bleach, laundry detergent, and glass cleaner, pesticides and fertilizer, and car fluids like antifreeze and windshield washer fluid. It’s important to know how to handle these products safely to prevent poisoning or other types of injuries."

a. Upload and present the "Symbol Savvy" presentation slides, and go through each of the symbols with the class. Slides, including speaking notes, can be found here: Symbol Savvy Presentation Grades 3&4.
b. Afterwards, ask the class what they should do to be safe whenever they see one of the symbols.

2. Explain to the class that "don't touch, taste or smell anything that may be poisonous. Something may look harmless but you can never be sure. Always ask an adult before you eat or drink something if you are not certain it is safe to consume."

a. Ask the class, or breakup into small groups, and ask them to list poisons that can be found in different areas of their home (i.e., bathroom, laundry room, garage, yard).
b. Review as a class to share what was identified.
c. Show the class Medication Candy Look-alike slides about differentiating between food and potential medication poisons.

3. As a class, brainstorm ways to prevent poisoning. On a piece of flipchart paper / white board / SMART board, write down poisoning prevention strategies. Strategies include:

  • Only take medicine or vitamins in the right amount, from an adult that you trust.
  • Keep poisons in their original container, locked up, high, and out of sight.
  • Be symbol savvy! Know how to identify hazard symbols and what they mean.
  • Ask a trusted adult if you are unsure if something is safe.

4. Hand out pieces of paper, pencil crayons, and markers to each student. Ask the class to "select 1 or 2 poison prevention strategies and write them at the top of the page, then draw a picture to represent each message." Close the lesson by asking the class to take their drawing home and talk about it with their caregivers.

Class Discussion Questions

a. What should you do if you find an object with a hazard symbol on it?
Prompts: Leave it alone and find a trusted adult to ask how to properly handle it. If you do not recognize the symbol, is it extra important not to touch or move the object.
b. What symbols should you avoid the most?

Let's Review

Today we learned about how to be safe and prevent poisoning.

 

Let’s Review: Poison Prevention

Are you ready to review what we learned?
Select ‘true’ or ‘false’ for each question.

1 / 4

1. If something looks like food it is always safe to eat.

2 / 4

2. Only take medicine from an adult that you trust.

3 / 4

3. Skull and crossbones means something is safe to eat.

4 / 4

4. If you don’t know if something is safe to eat, you should ask an adult that you trust.

 
 
 
 
 
 

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Home Connections

Send home a letter to caregivers letting them know that their child is learning about poison prevention. Encourage caregivers to do a home safety walk through, and make sure that items that could be poisonous in their household are locked up tight, stored high, and out of sight, and always stored in their original containers. Be sure to include the number for PADIS, and encourage caregivers to add the toll-free number as a contact in their cell phone, and / or write the number near their landline telephone. A sample letter is included below.

Community Connections

Invite a representative from a local community health centre to speak to the class about the importance of following poison prevention safety rules.

Sample Letter

(may be printed on school letterhead or used as a template for SchoolZone / SeeSaw)

Dear Parent / Caregiver,

Today our class learned about poisoning prevention. Every year, an average of 184 children are admitted to Alberta hospitals for treatment due to poisoning. There are also over 3,200 emergency department visits for poison-related injuries. Poisonings occur when someone:

  • Eats or drinks something poisonous without meaning to take it
  • Is given too much medicine or the wrong medicine by mistake
  • Comes into contact with poison and it absorbs through the skin
  • Breathes in an airborne poison

Students today learned:

  • About poisons and how a poisoning can happen
  • To only take medications, foods, and drinks provided by a trusted adult
  • That if they are uncertain if something is safe to eat or drink, to ask a trusted adult before they eat or drink it

There are a number of steps you can take to protect your family from poisoning including:

  1. Do a safety walk-through of your home using the Home Checklist and hazard symbols (link below) with your child. Look for common household items that can be poisonous. Discuss how to store these products safely.
  2. Store household cleaners, medication and other poisons in locked cupboards or locked up high and out of sight.
  3. Talk about poisons that may be present in your home. Explain that while they can be helpful , they are dangerous and must be stored and handled safely. Children should not handle these products and should tell you if they find them.
  4. Canada has a national phone number for contacting the poison centres. If you are concerned that someone has been poisoned, call 1-844-POISON-X (1-844-764-7669). This number is toll-free and available 24/7. When you dial this number while in Alberta, you will be connected to the Poison and Drug Information Service (PADIS), Alberta's poison centre. Post this number near your phone or save it in your contacts.

More information on poison prevention can be found at:

 

Sincerely,

[Insert Teacher Name Here]

Additional Resources

Health Canada. (2024). Use household chemicals safely.
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/home-safety/household-chemical-safety.html

Parachute. (2023). Poisoning.
https://parachute.ca/en/injury-topic/poisoning/

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