It's Time for Halloween

Last year the Missouri Poison Center received many calls on Halloween concerning exposures to glow stick products.Here's what you need to know about glow sticks:   Children of all ages can bite into these products or get the liquid into their eyes. The substance inside these glowing items is dibutyl phthalate --a clear, oily, colorless liquid.  It is low in toxicity but can irritate the eyes, skin, and mucous membranes. For Ingestion: Don't be alarmed if your child's lips and tongue glow for a few minutes. Wipe the mouth with a clean wet washcloth; go over the tongue and around the gum line. Give the child sips of water. For Eye Exposure: Flush exposed eyes with a generous amount of room temperature water for 10 minutes. For Skin Exposure: Remove any clothing that is wet with the liquid. Wash the exposed skin areas thoroughly with soap and water.

Beware of look-a-likes during Halloween

 

Many medicines can look, smell or even taste like candy.  Halloween is a time to pay particularly close attention to the location of medicines.  Because children can easily mistake medicines for candy, it's always best to keep medicines up and away out of the reach of children and never call medicines candy.