Chatham Township Promotes National Poison Prevention Week

Chatham Township is promoting National Poison Prevention Week during the week of March 15-21.

In an announcement on the township’s website, Chatham Township informed residents of National Poison Prevention Week and provided them with information from the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

According to Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, 55 children are exposed to potentially poisonous substances each day, prompting loved ones to call the NJ Poison Center for help. In 2014, nearly 20,000 children under 5 years old required assistance from the NJ Poison Center because of exposure to potentially poisonous materials, including household chemicals, medicines and vitamins, cigarettes, liquid nicotine and more, the medical school said in the release.

“We have all been guilty of carelessly leaving potentially harmful items around the house, while they should have been kept in lockable medicine/storage cabinets,” Steven Marcus, MD, executive and medical director of the NJ Poison Center said in the release. “Overlooking such items, unfortunately, can be very costly to the health and well-being of a family member.”

The Rutgers New Jersey Medical School recommends locking up such items to help prevent children or pets from being exposed to potentially hazardous materials.

Marcus urged residents to “poison proof” their homes during this week, by properly storing potentially hazardous items. Additionally, the medical school suggested taking unwanted or unused medications to medication drop-off locations, where they can be safely discarded.

If you believe your child, pet or anyone else has consumed a potentially dangerous substance, contact the NJ Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222. If the individual is unconscious, not breathing, seizing, etc, the medical school says to call 911 immediately.