While Halloween is one of the highlights of a child’s year, it can be less fun for parents who fret about everything from buying the right costume to the safety of the goodies in the trick-or-treat bag. With that in mind, the North Texas Poison Center, housed at Parkland Memorial Hospital, offers a few tips aimed at making the spookiest time of the year a little less frightening for parents:
- Put trick-or-treaters in brightly colored costumes made of flame-resistant materials. Add reflective tape on trick-or-treat bags to make sure your child is visible after dark.
- If your child uses makeup rather than a mask, keep an eye out for possible skin irritation, including a rash or itching. If your child develops a rash, remove the makeup immediately and wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and water.
- Carry a flashlight after the sun goes down, and make sure excited trick-or-treaters don’t inadvertently wander in the way of passing cars.
- Adults should always accompany young children and visits should be limited to familiar well-lit homes.
- Feed children before trick-or-treating to avoid the temptation of eating candy from their bag. Always inspect all treats before they are eaten. Teach your children to eat only treats that are in the original, unopened wrappers. Do not eat any candy that has been opened or if the candy wrapper is faded or has holes or tears.
- Dry Ice: It can cause oral burns if swallowed. Use of dry ice in punch is ok as long as the ice is not swallowed. Skin contact with the ice may cause tissue damage and should be avoided.
- Non-Prescription Decorative Contact Lenses (sometimes called plano, zero-powered or non-corrective lenses): These lenses may cause harm if not worn properly. Although the FDA regulates the use of decorative contacts, there are many illegal sources that include local beauty salons, record stores, flea markets and the internet. Using unauthorized contacts may present risks to the eye that include corneal ulcers, corneal abrasions, vision impairment and even blindness.
- Glow Sticks and Glow Necklaces: These contain a chemical known as Dibutyl Phthalate but luckily the concentration is quite low and relatively harmless.
In 2011, the staff of the North Texas Poison Center handled nearly 83,000 calls for poison information and treatment recommendations on their toll-free hotline, 1.800.222.1222. On average, U.S. poison centers received one call concerning a suspected or actual human poison exposure every 12.7 seconds.
For more information and tips to prevent poisonings, visit the North Texas Poison Center on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NTXPC. You can also follow on Twitter @NTXPoisonCenter.
The North Texas Poison Center, housed at Parkland Memorial Hospital, is one of 57 poison centers in the United States and a member of the American Association of Poison Control Centers. Members staff the Poison Help hotline at 1.800.222.1222 that provides free, private, expert medical advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year from toxicology specialists, including nurses, pharmacists, physicians and poison information providers.
