Reduce Your Child's Chances of Pesticide Poisoning
Información relacionada disponible en español
Keep these common household pesticides out of children’s reach:
- Bath and kitchen disinfectants and sanitizers, including bleach.
- Products used to kill mold or mildew.
- Roach sprays and baits.
- Insect repellents.
- Rat and other rodent poisons.
- Weed killers.
- Flea and tick shampoos, powders and dips for pets.
- Swimming pool chemicals.
Use these tips to help you poison-proof your home:
Child-proofing
- Lock up all pesticides and harmful products in a cabinet, out of a child’s reach.
- Install safety latches on cabinets.
- Crawl around on your hands and knees to see if you've missed any potential dangers from your child's viewpoint.
Pesticide labels
- Read the label first.
- Follow the directions as they are written on the label before using a product.
Pesticide containers
- Use child-resistant packaging correctly by tightly sealing the container after every use.
- Re-close a pesticide package if ever interrupted during application (e.g., phone call, doorbell, etc.).
- Make sure the container is completely out of children's reach while you're absent.
- Keep pesticides in their original containers.
- Never put poisonous products in containers that could be mistaken for food or drinks.
Other tips
- Alert all caregivers about the potential dangers of pesticides and share these tips with them.
- Teach children that “pesticides are poisons” and not to be touched.
- Pesticides you use to control fleas and ticks on your pets can be transferred to your children. Protect your pets and children by carefully following the label directions and precautions.
- Post the Poison Control Centers Exit national hotline phone number, 1(800)222-1222, near every telephone in your home and program it into your cell phone.
Additional Resources:
- Play It Safe: Reduce Your Child's Chances of Pesticide Poisoning
- En español: Reduzca la probabilidad de que sus hijos se envenenen con pesticidas (PDF) (8 pp, 366k, About PDF)
- Ten Tips to Protect Children from Pesticide and Lead Poisonings -- provides simple tips to save children from pesticide and lead poisoning around the home
- Poison-Proof Your Home One Room at a Time (PDF) a checklist which provides a list of activities and action steps that can help parents and caregivers identify sources of pesticide and other household product dangers at home.
- En español: Haga de su hogar un lugar de prueba de venenos: Una habitación a la vez (PDF) (2 pp, 160k, About PDF)
- Protecting Children in Schools from Pests and Pesticides
- More on Children's Health Protection
- Learn About Chemicals Around Your House is an interactive website about household products, including pesticides that may contain harmful chemicals.
- Audio public service announcements (PSA), produced in Spanish (español), on cockroaches and other pests, illegal pesticides and storing pesticides safely, are available. (Transcripts in English/español, audio in español)
- Illegal Pesticide Products such as mothballs, insecticidal chalk, pet products, and antibacterial products may be sold on the street or in small neighborhood stores.
- En español: Los productos pesticidas ilegales, tales como naftalina, tiza insecticida, productos para mascotas y productos antibacterianos pueden aparecer a la venta en la calle o en pequeños almacenes del barrio.
- Safe pesticide storage
- Disposing of pesticides
- Learn about EPA’s Safer Choice label
- Learn how to prevent lead poisoning