Atrium Health Navicent Pediatricians Urge Caregivers to be Aware of Toxic Household Items
Atrium Health Levine Children’s Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital encourages the community to take note of potentially deadly household substances that could cause harm to children during National Poison Prevention Week, observed March 16-22, 2025.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), poisoning is the leading cause of unintentional injuryrelated deaths in the U.S. In 2023, U.S. poison control centers provided telephone guidance for over 2.1 million poison exposures. While children under 6 years old comprise most cases and the highest incidence is in children age 2 and younger, poisoning affects all age groups.
Most poisonings in children occur when parents or caregivers are at home.
“Even a small amount of cleaning products or medications commonly found at home can lead to serious poisoning in children,” said Dr. Lalitha Sivaswamy, Pediatric Department chair for Atrium Health Levine Children’s Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital. “It’s incredibly important that parents and other caregivers are aware of potential hazards at home, including laundry detergent pods, plants, medications and cleaning products, and keep them out of children’s reach.”
If you suspect someone has been poisoned, call the Georgia Poison Control Hotline (1-800-222-1222) and seek medical help immediately.
Follow these tips to keep children safe from accidental poisoning:
• Store medicine, cleaning and laundry products, paints and pesticides in their original packaging in locked cabinets, out of sight and reach of children.
• Safety latches that automatically lock when you close a cabinet door can help keep children away from dangerous products, but there is always a chance the device will malfunction.
• Purchase and keep all medicines in containers with safety caps. Discard unused medication. Never refer to medicine as “candy” or other appealing names.
• Check the label each time you give a child medicine to ensure proper dosage. For liquid medicines, use the dosing device that came with the medicine.
• If you use an e-cigarette, keep the liquid nicotine refills locked and out of children's reach and only buy refills that use child-resistant packaging. A small amount of liquid nicotine spilled on the skin or swallowed can be fatal to a child.
• Maintain working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
• Secure remote controls, key fobs, musical children’s books and other devices that may contain small batteries, which can cause injury if ingested.
• Know the names of all plants in your home and yard. If you have young children or pets, consider removing those that are poisonous.
If you suspect your child has been poisoned, it’s important to get help right away. Some signs that indicate your child may have been poisoned include lethargy, an altered mental status, shallow breathing, diarrhea and changes in their pupils. If your child is experiencing any of those symptoms, take them to an emergency room right away.
The Pediatric Emergency Center at Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital is available 24 hours a day if poison exposure occurs. Designed specifically for children and families, the children’s hospital is staffed by board-certified pediatric specialists.
Caregivers are encouraged to prepare for poison emergencies by programming the Georgia Poison Control Helpline (1-800-222-1222) into their phones and posting the number in a visible location such as on a refrigerator. Whether you have general questions or an emergency, health care professionals at the Poison Helpline are available 24 hours a day to answer questions at no cost.
About Atrium Health Navicent
Atrium Health Navicent is the leading provider of health care in central and south Georgia and is committed to its mission of elevating health and wellbeing through compassionate care. Atrium Health Navicent is part of Advocate Health, which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Navicent provides high-quality, personalized care in 53 specialties at more than 50 facilities throughout the region. As part of the largest, integrated, nonprofit health system in the Southeast, it is also able to tap into some of the nation’s leading medical experts and specialists with Atrium Health, allowing it to provide the best care close to home – including advanced innovations in virtual medicine and care. Throughout its 130-year history in the community, Atrium Health Navicent has remained dedicated to enhancing health and wellness for individuals throughout the region through nationally recognized quality care, community health initiatives and collaborative partnerships. It is also one of the leading teaching hospitals in the region, helping to ensure viability for rural health care for the next generation. For more information, please visit www.NavicentHealth.org.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. Advocate Health is nationally recognized for its expertise in heart and vascular, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs more than 160,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to redefining care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.