| Children | Adults | Teachers | Medical |
Children love to explore! Young children cannot determine if something is poisonous or not. Imagine how confusing the world can be to a child that cannot read. If a child's favorite drink is blue Koolaid and a bottle of Windex is left on the counter within his reach, he/she will probably drink it based on the color alone. It looks familiar to him/her. A small child can easily mistake a cleaning product, medicine and/or personal grooming supplies as something to eat or drink. The following is a list of some products that look like something good to eat or drink but can be poisonous. This is not a complete list. There are many medicines that look like candy, including vitamins and cold medicine.
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by Yoshimov with licensure rights at Creative Commons.com |
| Poisonous Product | Look-A-Like Product |
|---|---|
| Citroma Sparkling Laxative (Cherry Flavor) | Faygo Diet Red Pop |
| Bathroom Cleaner (Comet) | Parmesan Cheese (Kraft Grated Cheese) |
| Ex-Lax Chocolate Laxative | Hershey's Chocolate Bar |
| Muscle Rub | Toothpaste |
| Lamp Oil | Cranberry Juice |
| Mothballs | Mini-marshmallows |
| Pabst Blue Ribbon (can) | Diet Pepsi (can) |
| Pine cleaner | Apple Juice |
| Sunlight Dishwashing Liquid | Minute Maid Lemon Juice |
| Windshield Washer Fluid | Kool Aid |
| Sudafed Nasal Decongestant | Cinnamon Dots Red Hots |
| Eye Ointment | Superglue adhesive |
| Oven Cleaners | Aerosol oils/Pam Cooking Spray |
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P Photo by Yogi with licensure rights at Creative commons.com |
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Ammonia/Rubbing Alcohol and Water - Many people use ammonia or rubbing alcohol to clean jewelry and leave this product in cups on the counter. It's very easy for a child to mistake this for water and drink it, never even noticing the jewelry at the bottom. Never put non-food items in food containers.
Bathroom Cleaner and Parmesan Cheese - These products and their containers are very easy to confuse. Prevent this confusion by never storing food products and cleaning products in the same place.
Muscle Rubs and Toothpaste - The tubes look the same and both products are white in color. The strong smell of wintergreen cannot be depended on as a warning, especially for a young child.
Brightly Colored Cleaning Agents, Medicines and Personal Care Products - Children are attracted to bright colors and especially to colors that are familiar to them such as a juice they drink - Apple Juice, Fruit Juice, Koolaid, etc. Many harmful products look like children's favorite drinks because of the color. Store all medicines, cleaning products, personal care products, gasoline, oil, fertilizers, insecticides and home repair products in a locked cabinet out of sight and out of reach.
The Oklahoma Poison Control Center web site
is provided free of charge to the public as an informational and educational tool.
This web site is NOT intended as a substitute for a consultation
with the Oklahoma Poison Control Center. The center is a statewide program operated
by The University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy in cooperation with Children´s
Hospital at the OU Medical Center.
Our pharmacists and nurses are specially trained poison experts available 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week.
"We note that poison control centers are health care providers for purposes
of this rule. We consider the counseling and follow-up consultation provided
by poison control centers with individual providers regarding patient outcomes
to be treatment. Therefore, poison control centers and other health care providers
can share protected health information about the treatment of an individual
without a business associate contract."
-Federal Register Vol.65, No. 250: p. 82611 (pdf)
