Adults are generally comfortable with recognizing the medications they take. Unfortunately the little pills that are commonly found in many bathroom cupboards look too similar to candy for young children to understand the difference. This can lead to potentially fatal outcomes. The household cleaners that many of us store under the sink or in the laundry room can pose as a mysterious toy for young children, also causing serious health problems. As National Poison Prevention Week begins, the California Poison Control System has announced new programs to better inform the public about the second leading cause of childhood injury in the United States.

Some of the new programs include free text messaging service, Facebook quizzes and e-cards that provide tips and information about poison prevention. The text messaging service will be provide tips and news about accidental poisoning prevention in both English and Spanish. You can opt in to the service for free by texting TIPS of PUNTOS for Spanish, to 69866. Participants will receive one message a day during National Poison Prevention Week, then once a week during the rest of the year. Standard text messaging rates will apply depending on your service provider. Read more –>