Oklahoma City, OK -- Every year, up to 10 million household poisonings are reported, many of them children under the age of 5. Many of these poisonings are the result of unintentional eating or drinking of common household substances.

With so many common items leading to poisonings, it becomes difficult to understand what a poison is.

“Anything can be a poison if taken in the wrong dose or amount,” said Lee McGoodwin, managing director of the Oklahoma Poison Control Center.

Such common household cleaning products as ammonia, bleach, disinfectants, detergents, furniture polish, oven and drain cleaners, rust removers, toilet bowl cleaners, and soap can be found in most kitchens and bathrooms and contain chemicals that, if swallowed, can harm a child.

But even large doses of a nutritional supplement like iron can prove to be toxic and can even cause death. For example, the poison center addressed a case involving a 3-year-old child who overdosed on prenatal iron tablets. The mother found her son with a bottle of the tablets, which she had left in the drawer of her bedside table. The bottle had a child-resistant cap, but the child still opened it. Green tablets were scattered on the floor, and the child had a green color on his fingers and in his mouth. The child had no symptoms and appeared fine, so the mother decided to keep an eye on the boy.

Two hours later, the child became listless, and began vomiting and had two episodes of black, tarry diarrhea. The mother phoned the poison center and was advised to immediately take the child to the hospital, where he was treated with life-saving intravenous medicine.

To prevent unintentional poisonings, a home must be viewed from a child’s perspective. Children ages 1 to 3 are at highest risk for accidental poisoning because they often put anything with which they come in contact into their mouths. Children at this age are becoming more mobile, and many things in the home are now within their reach. Childproofing measures in the home are best initiated when the child is 6 months of age or before the child begins crawling. Also, children 2 to 5 years old frequently will eat any pills they discover. These young children are normally curious and like to mimic adult behaviors.

“Children can swallow vitamins, perfume, cigarettes, plants, berries, mushrooms, cleaning solvents, insect repellents, pesticides and hydrocarbons in the form of gasoline, kerosene and charcoal fluid. These can be very harmful substances. Adults have to know what is considered a poison and where to go for help when a poisoning occurs or is suspected,” McGoodwin said. “If a poisoning is suspected, call to be sure. Don’t wait for symptoms to appear. Immediate action is always the best practice to follow.”

In a poisoning emergency, call the Poison Help Line right away at (800) 222-1222. Do not e-mail the poison center or a member of the poison center staff, as poisoning emergencies are not handled through e-mail. The poison center is staffed 24 hours a day by specially trained pharmacists and registered nurses. The Oklahoma Poison Control Center is a program of the University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy at the OU Health Sciences Center.