Talking about poison prevention

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) - It’s National Poison Prevention Week. WTAP reached out to a doctor to discuss what you need to know about poison prevention.

WTAP spoke with Dr. Gabriella Olson of W.V.U. Medicine about common causes of accidental poisoning.

Dr. Olson said that children can be particularly susceptible to accidental poisoning from medications. She emphasized the importance of making sure all medications have child lock lids installed correctly and are kept safely away from children in a medicine cabinet.

Dr. Olson elaborated on some other steps people can take. “With the coinciding of spring with National Poison Prevent Week, now is a great time to do spring cleaning,” Dr. Olson said. “To make sure all your cabinets are cleaned out, you don’t have medications you don’t need laying around. That all cleaning agents and solvents are out of the reach of children and locked up, and of course to keep everything in an original bottle, so that if a child does ingest something, you have that information to give to the person at the poison control line everything they need to know to tell you what to do about that situation.”

Dr. Olson also said it’s important to consult your doctor or pharmacist if you’re taking multiple medications to make sure you’re informed about potential interactions. As far as poisonous plants go, she said there aren’t many severely poisonous plants in the area, but that people should still exercise caution in case of unexpected adverse reactions.

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