Poison Prevention Week: March 16-22, 2025
For Poison Prevention Week (PPW) this year, the Atlantic Canada Poison Centre (ACPC) and Child Safety Link (CSL) would like to remind everyone that they can prevent poisonings at home. The goal of this year’s campaign theme, Prevent Poisonings Before They Happen, is to educate parents and caregivers about practices that can make their homes safer from unintentional childhood poisonings.
The key to preventing childhood poisonings in the home begins with the safe storage of potentially toxic products, says Dr. Nancy Murphy, Medical Director of the Atlantic Canada Poison Centre.
“For starters, all cannabis, medications and cleaning products should be stored in locked cupboards, drawers or locking bags,” says Dr. Murphy. “It’s also very important to keep adult purses and bags away from little hands, because they also often contain medications, cosmetics and smoking/vaping products that could be very dangerous to a small child.”
Child Safety Link would like to stress that parents should never assume that something is safely out of reach to a young child, whose abilities to reach and climb can expand daily. Also, caregivers should never assume that “child resistant” containers will keep little ones out of the containers.
“Given enough time and opportunity, we have seen children as young as one year open so-called child resistant containers and pill bottles,” says Sarah Mavrak, Health Promotion Specialist with CSL. “We want caregivers to know that having locks on containers, bags, and cupboards is the most effective way of keeping children safe from home poisonings.”
If a child gets into a harmful substance, the best step is to call for professional advice right away—poison control experts can provide the most accurate and timely guidance
“There is so much myth and misinformation about poisons on the internet. Don’t waste precious time searching online; call the Atlantic Canada Poison Centre at 1-844-POISON-X for immediate, expert advice on what you should do,” says Dr. Murphy.
To celebrate Poison Prevention Week, landmarks across Atlantic Canada will be lighting up blue to highlight the importance of poison prevention and encourage safe storage practices in homes.
During this week, Child Safety will also be promoting a new resource, "Preventing Poisonings Before They Happen," which is available on the CSL website and available for download and ordering in English, French, Arabic and Mi'kmaq.
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CSL will also be promoting the following posters on its social channels:
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For more information on these or anything else related to Poison Prevention Week please contact CSL Public Relations at julie.harrington@iwk.nshealth.ca .