NEWS: Childproofing Your Home is Allegany County Center Focus

Theresa Moore, supervising public health educator for the Allegany County Health Department, points out safe and dangerous products that young children see as being the same during a “Childproofing Your Home” presentation Tuesday at the Hope Center in Wellsville. The seminar, for parents and professionals, is among a series of free community awareness presentations this month at the facility on some of the many Kids Dangers that children and youth face each day. Mental health will be the focus in May.

WELLSVILLE – From accidental poisonings to scalding, sun damage, lead in older homes, fires, falls, plants, pets and more, today's children face a multitude of risks at home and in common surroundings, according to an Allegany County educator.

Theresa Moore, supervising public health educator for the county Health Department, discussed the need for parents, grandparents, caregivers and others to be aware of these dangers during a “Childproofing Your Home” public awareness presentation Tuesday at the new Hope Center in Wellsville.

The session is one of several being hosted this month on Kids Dangers through this county outreach ministry of Mission Genesee Valley, a coalition of churches, Christian organizations and individuals focused on community revitalization and revival.

Accidental poisonings can occur easily, particularly with young children, Moore said, due to their inability to differentiate between safe and unsafe products that look similar in shapes, colors, smells, packaging, containers or substances.

Examples include fruit juices and liquid cleaning products, chocolate and laxatives, Pop Tarts and Pot (marijuana) Tarts, sweet smelling and tasting antifreeze, candy and pills, sprinkles and rat poison, plants that may be poisonous in whole or part, many items that are carried in women's handbags, and more.

Some keys to keeping children safe from these products is to keep medicines and other items under lock and key, out of arms reach and climbing range, out of sight while ingesting items such as medicines so children aren't tempted and think they are safe, and knowing toxic components of common plants in and outside the home.

Keeping medicines out of the way of children of all ages also is important, the educator noted, so they do not start ingesting them and become addicted or take them from the house for use, sharing or sale to other children.

Moore noted that adults can be impacted by look alikes, telling about someone who grabbed what they thought was hair spray in a pink aerosol under dim light in a bathroom and discovering after liberal use that it was something else.

Reference guides for poisonous items are available from Upstate New York Poison Center at www.upstate.edu/poison/community/index.php. Emergency assistance can be obtained at (800) 222-1222, with Moore recommending the number be entered into cell phones for rapid access if needed.

Another caution area is food preparation, the health department supervisor said, noting sickness and even death due to food poisoning.

Counter tops should be cleaned after each preparation of various types of food items; meats and fresh vegetables should be kept separate while preparing, including use of different cutting boards that are identifiable for each as such; prepared food, both hot and cold, should be moved to enable refrigerated temperatures throughout the food within two hours of being placed out for serving, not simply placed in the refrigerated area within that two hour period; and meat platters used to take food outside for cooking should be washed before placing cooked meats back on them.

Many other examples and tips can be found at www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/foodborne-germs.html.

Lead poisoning is another area of concern, the educator said, noting that children need to be tested for lead at both one and two years of age in New York State due to potential lead exposures resulting from the age of homes in Allegany County.

These can result in lead from old pipes; flaking or pealing lead-based paint that young children can be exposed to through lead dust settling in carpets or on toys; toys with lead paint imported from overseas manufacturers; and more, with inhalation and ingestion being the two primary means of exposure. Moore said that serving foods that are rich in calcium, iron and vitamin C can help protect children from lead. Other assists include running water for at least a minute if it has not been used overnight or during the day, only using cold tap water for food preparation due to warmer water being more likely to loosen lead in pipes, and being aware of peeling and chipping paint that may be lead based. Further information on this issue is available at www.health.ny.gov/environmental/lead.

Another area of childhood concern is to “Save the Skin Your Child is In,” with many parents not realizing they need to protect their children even during winter months and when they are outside by out of the sun.

Choosing a sunscreen that offers both UVA and UVB protection, applying it a half hour before going outside, and being sure it isn't toxic if absorbed into the mouth through a child licking and sucking on skin, and recognizing that certain medicines can cause skin to be more sensitive, are a few of the components that are important, Moore said.

She noted that sun is still a hazard even on cloudy days and through reflections off snow and water when children are not in direct sunlight. Keeping them out of the sun for the first six months of their life is very important, she added.

Additional information about children and skin cancer is available at www.health.ny.gov/publications/0472, with warnings about teens and indoor tanning at www.health.ny.gov/publications/0335.pdf. Many other unrecognized dangers also exist in all rooms in a home, with children and adults being particularly susceptible in kitchens and bathrooms due to water, heat and electricity being potentially dangerous mixes, Moore said. These areas also include potentially slippery surfaces.

The elderly, as well as children, are extra sensitive to hot water temperatures, she said, with hot water heaters needing to be set at 120 degrees, usually the lowest setting. Older people have skin that is less sensitive to temperature and can be scalded easily without realizing it. Children under five are the most susceptible to this danger.

Falls are the greatest cause of hospitalizations, the educator reported, with fires being the leading cause of death for children ages five through nine. Other dangers include suffocation, drowning, poor air circulation that can trigger asthma and other pollutants including high pollen counts, diseases carried by pets, cuts, and electrical shorts.

A room-by-room home safety checklist, “Home Safe Home,” is available at www.health.ny.gov/publications/3106.pdf.

Additional information on home safety, along with environmental, disaster preparedness, child nutrition, early intervention for children with developmental delays, and other public health issues is available from the Allegany County Health Department in Belmont at www.alleganyco.com/departments/health or (585) 268-9250. The annual Community Health Assessment for adults ages 18 and older to voice opinions about the county's health and wellness is available at www.surveymonkey.com/r/AlleganyCHA.

The Kids Dangers presentations during April at the Hope Center also include “Dangers of Early Childhood Trauma as Children Age,” “Facts and Myths About Child Protective Services,” Combating Drugs, Alcohol and Vaping,” “Help Struggling Readers Read,” “Is It Dyslexia?” and “Developing True Communities of Care in Churches” and other organizations.

In May the Center will focus on mental health that affects one out of two individuals during their lifetimes.

The full schedule for April and updates for future months are available at www.facebook.com/HopeCenterAlleganyCounty. Individuals also can obtain schedules by email by sending a message to  bps461@msn.com with “Subscribe – Hope Center” in the Subject line and community of residence in the message.

The Hope Center, which includes information and referral and reading assistance in addition to its education center, currently is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, by appointment, and for daytime and evening presentations, workshops and seminars. Services are free and available to all persons, regardless of faith background.