Children act fast, and so do poisons. Are the toxic items in your apartment secured safely high above and out of sight?
The third week of March was declared National Poison Prevention Week in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy. Why? To raise awareness about the fatal dangers associated with accidental poisonings. Poisoning in the leading cause of injury-related death in the United States, and can easily be avoided by taking a few small steps towards safety. This year, National Poison Prevention Week is March 20-26. At The Apartments of Wildewood, we hope to enlighten you about apartment safety measures that will prevent future poisonings.
Is Your Apartment Poison Safe?
When was the last time you assessed your apartment for dangerous poisons? Oftentimes, people forget how dangerous common household items can be if they are mishandled. If you live with small children or pets, making your apartment poison safe is of the utmost importance. Take a walk through your apartment and survey the following rooms for these potentially hazardous items:
- Kitchen: cleaning supplies, medicine, alcohol, vitamins, aerosol sprays, fragrance oils, laundry products
- Living Room: remote controls (loose batteries are toxic to children and pets), cigarettes, plants, fragrance oils, small ingestible objects
- Bedroom: medicine, personal care items, cosmetics, jewelry cleaners, fragrance oils
- Bathroom: medicine, cleaning supplies, personal care items, cosmetics, fragrance oils, aerosol sprays
How to Make Your Apartment Poison Safe
Once you have done a thorough inspection of your apartment and identified the presence of potentially hazardous items, be sure to remove or relocate the items to a safe location. To ensure safety, store all potentially hazardous items securely up, away, and out of reach of young children and pets.
Did you find medicines in your apartment that expired or no longer needed? Medicine safety plays a critical role in poison prevention. You can safely dispose of medications by utilizing the St.Mary’s Drug Drop Off Initiative 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Poison Help Resources
Do you know who to call in the event of a poison emergency? It is best to save the following contact information in your phone and put it on display in your apartment in a location easily accessible to potential babysitters or pet sitters:
- National Poison Control Center: 1-800-222-1222
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: 888-426-4435
- Click here for a full list of plants that may be toxic to your pets
Looking For an Apartment in St. Mary’s County That You’ll Love? We Can Help!
At The Apartments of Wildewood, located in beautiful in St. Mary’s Maryland, we offer homes with access to pools, an on-site gym, and maintenance whenever you need it – and have access to all the information you need to affordably rent a warm apartment in winter. To set up an appointment to check out an apartment rental from The Apartments at Wildewood, call us at 301.737.0737 or visit the website!
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