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Chemical poisoning
Most people worry about children being poisoned by household cleaners, pesticides, and other chemical products stored in the home. This is a legitimate concern, and one worth taking steps to prevent. But chemicals can also poison adults, often when inhaled or absorbed by mistake (see "Common household poisons," below).
Poor vision (making it hard to read labels) and a diminished sense of smell (so that noxious odors aren't as bothersome) contribute to this type of accident. There's not much you can do about restoring your sense of smell, but you can make sure your eyeglass prescription is up to date. If you still have trouble reading labels, ask someone with better eyesight to help you out.
It also helps to periodically go through your basement and garage to see what is stored there. As challenging as it may seem, it's important to go through all these products regularly to eliminate hazards whenever possible, and to safely store and label those that remain. This is especially important if you have lived in your home for a long time. It is all too easy to forget what a dusty container actually contains — especially if the labels have faded with time. When in doubt, throw it out. (Contact your local waste disposal company or town hall for guidelines about disposal of hazardous waste.)
Prevent chemical poisoning
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Post emergency numbers and instructions in the kitchen, basement, garage, or wherever chemical products are stored.
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If you have grandchildren or other young children who visit, install child-safety locks on any cabinets or drawers that contain cleaning products, pesticides, and other chemicals.
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Store all cleaning materials or poisons in their original containers, away from food.
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Never use food containers, such as glasses, bottles, or jugs, to store chemicals, as they might be consumed by mistake.
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Do not mix different chemical products together. Some will explode or give off noxious fumes.
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Wear gloves while using any chemical product; remove the gloves and wash your hands before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
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Make sure you use cleaning products, paints, and other chemicals only in locations that are adequately ventilated, as some products create fumes that concentrate to toxic levels in closed places.
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Carefully read the instructions about use and storage for cleaning products. Discard according to directions.
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Keep labels legible and attached to the container. Labels not only indicate what the product contains but also provide safety information you should review every time you use the product.
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Clean up any spills quickly, to prevent poisoning children or pets.
Prevent fires and burns
Ella, a 76-year-old homemaker and grandmother in Massachusetts, started every morning with a hot cup of tea. She did it so often, she didn't even think about what she was doing; she just did it automatically. Later in the emergency room she would try to reconstruct what happened before she got burned. She remembered reaching across the burners to turn the knob to the right. She remembered the slight popping sound as the gas burner ignited. She turned away to go feed the dog. And then, suddenly: searing pain. She doubled over with it, as flames engulfed her bathrobe. She fell to the floor and rolled, instinctively. Later the doctors told her that was probably what saved her life — by dropping and rolling, she managed to extinguish the flames. Even so, she sustained second- and third-degree burns on her arm. With treatment and physical therapy, she was able to recover.
Fires and burns are the third leading cause of death in the home (see "Facts about burns," below). Although fires cause many burns, these injuries can also occur when people are electrocuted, scalded, or exposed to caustic chemicals. Burns can even occur when people fall asleep on heating pads, especially if nerve damage prevents them from feeling pain as sharply as they once did. Fires, however, pose an added hazard: death by smoke inhalation.
Burns are categorized by degree of severity. A first-degree burn, which damages the top layer of skin, is the least serious. Third-degree burns, which damage all layers of the skin and may destroy underlying blood vessels and nerves, are potentially fatal. Burns can also occur internally when someone inhales steam, fumes, or smoke. (For information on how to treat burns, see "First aid for burns," below.)
The risk of dying from a burn is greatest in adults ages 65 and older (see Figure 6). Scalding from hot liquid is a common type of burn suffered by older people, accounting for more than 40% of hospitalizations in people 65 and older. The usual culprits are hot tap water, food, and beverages. Physiological changes with aging (see "Physical changes with age," above) make older people more vulnerable to scalding. Skin grows thinner as you age and is more susceptible to injuries such as bruising and burns. Also, you may not feel heat, cold, or even pain as intensely as you did when you were younger — owing to nerve damage from diabetes, medications you are taking, or decreased nerve connections to the brain.
Many burns occur in house fires, and about one-quarter of fires in single-family homes and about half of all apartment fires start in the kitchen. Most kitchen fires result from human error or when cooking pans are left unattended, not from stove malfunctions. Another factor in home fires, especially for the elderly, is decreased coordination when cooking, lighting cigarettes, or tending fires. For instance, about one in four fires in the home are caused by cigarettes, which ignite bedding or upholstery. Partly as a result, more than three of four deaths that occur after clothing catches fire occur in people ages 65 and older.
Another significant fire hazard in your home is something that is located in nearly every room but that you are unlikely to suspect. The culprit is polyurethane foam, commonly found in mattresses, pillows, upholstered sofas and chairs, and carpet underlay. Polyurethane foam has sometimes been compared to gasoline. When ignited, the foam generates extreme heat, gives off toxic gases, and rapidly depletes any oxygen in the room. A sofa fire, for example, may engulf the living room in as little as four minutes and fill the entire house with toxic fumes.
To ensure your safety at home, do not place any upholstered furniture or items containing polyurethane foam close to heating units, and be careful when tending fireplaces, lighting candles, or smoking.
Fortunately, it is often possible to prevent fires and avoid getting burned by being aware of the risks and taking some common-sense precautions.
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Author Info: Harvard Health Publications
Date Last Reviewed: 04-01-2005 Published Date: 01-23-2007 |
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