Mr. Yuk is not dead, yet. Created in 1971 by the Children?s Hospital in Pittsburgh, the round-faced, green Mr. Yuk warning stickers may be too bright, bold and attractive for smaller children, said Janet Silvester, president of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
While recognizing the value of Mr. Yuk’s decades of public service, Silvester recommends plain, white stickers with the poison control number pasted by or on phones. It also helps to keep a list of current prescriptions handy as well as dosage and frequency, she said.
“I think what is more troubling is accidental poisoning by prescription drugs,” Silvester said. Following the directions and warnings on medicines is a crucial step, as well as using child-resistant containers for medicines and storing cleaners and other toxins in locked cabinets.
Pharmacist groups and poison control workers are spreading the word this month that the toxin you aren?t thinking about is the one your child will find.
“I work for poison control, so you?d think my house would be child-safe,” said Bruce Anderson, director of the Maryland Poison Center. “My son crawled over, found the diaper bag and was doing shots of the hand sanitizer.”
Fear of being labeled a bad parent shouldn?t prevent someone from calling the poison center hot line, Anderson said.
“It?s important you get help right away. There?s no judgment,” he said. “Little kids get into stuff because that?s part of their environment. And part of their job, besides messing with their parents? heads, is to explore their environment. It?s actually a sign that they are intelligent and exploring.”
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists offers the following tips to prevent accidental drug poisoning:
» Caretakers should not call medicine “candy” to get the child to take the medicine.
» It is best to use one pharmacy for all prescriptions so the pharmacist can check for possible interactions between medicines.
Accidental poisoning is the second-leading cause of death by home injury in the United States, according to the national nonprofit Home Safety Council. But its 2007 Safe Haven survey found only 1 percent of U.S. adults ranked poisoning at the top of their list of home safety concerns. The survey also found fewer than one in five adults have put safety locks on cabinets or posted the Poison Control help number (800-222-1222) near phones.
