![]() |
![]() |
FDA Home Page | Search
FDA Site | FDA A-Z Index | Contact
FDA | FDA Centennial
The Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, is part of the United States Government. It is FDA's job to teach Americans about ways to protect their health.
Medicines. Cleaning products. Houseplants. Many items in your home can be poisons to children.
But the main cause of children's deaths from poisoning is vitamin pills with iron.
A child can die after swallowing as few as five of these pills.
Some dangerous medicines are:
Some dangerous household products are:
To protect your child:
If you see an open or spilled bottle of pills or other dangerous product, your child may be poisoned.
An important sign of poisoning is when children who were well develop unusual symptoms:
If you think your child has swallowed, breathed in, or touched poison, call the poison control center or your doctor right away. Post their numbers near your phone. The nearest poison control center should be listed with other emergency numbers at the beginning of your phone book.
If you can, tell them:
If you are told to go to the hospital emergency room, take the poison with you.
Always have syrup of ipecac (ip-eh-kak) in the house. It can make a person vomit. You can buy it at the drugstore.
Do not use ipecac until you call the poison control center or your doctor. They will tell you whether to use the ipecac and how to use it. With some poisons, vomiting can be harmful instead of helpful.
Lead can get into food and drink from certain ceramic, or pottery, dishes. Most ceramic dishes made in the United States are alright. Those made in other countries, or that are very old, may not be.
Call your doctor if your child has symptoms of lead poisoning:
It takes a long time for the symptoms to show up. But the doctor can do a blood test to see if your child has been exposed to lead.
To prevent lead poisoning, don't store food or drinks in ceramic containers.
Tell grandparents, babysitters, and other people your child may visit how to make their homes safe for visiting children.
Mr. Yuk is the poison warning symbol used by many poison control centers.
Mr. Yuk stickers say NO! to little children who can't read warning labels on dangerous products.
Teach your children that Mr. Yuk means NO! Take your children with you as you place Mr. Yuk stickers on the many dangerous products in your home.
To get Mr. Yuk stickers, call the poison control center. The number is on the first page of the phone book.
The stickers are free.
(Mr. Yuk is used with permission of Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.)
Ask your doctor. And ask FDA. There may be an FDA office near you. Look for the number in the blue pages of the phone book. You can also contact FDA through its toll-free number 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332). Or online at www.fda.gov
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that makes sure that mammogram facilities are inspected and certified.
Department of Health and Human Services
Food and Drug Administration
5600 Fishers Lane (HFI-40)
Rockville, MD 20857
(FDA) 00-1262
Poison Help (HRSA)