“What are you eating?” “What’s that in your mouth?”  Questions most toddlers hear at least once a day and the answer is either “nothing…” or an open mouth with un-identifiable contents!

When this happens and you suspect your child, grandchild, or the toddler you’re with has eaten a berry or part of a plant, call the Washington Poison Center at 800.222.1222.

Here are some hints from the call center:

• Never leave small children in a garden by themselves; children are curious and if it smells nice, or looks pretty, they will try to eat it.
• Most plants must be eaten to cause harm, but beware!  There are a few plants that only need to be touched, such as poison oak.
• Children learn by imitation: by watching adults pick berries and other edible fruits a child may be encouraged to pick and eat berries too.  But they don’t know the difference between 2 similar berries and that while one part of a plant may be edible, another can be poisonous. Teach your toddler to never put leaves, stems, bark, seeds, nuts or berries, from any plant, into their mouths.
• Know the name of all the plants in your home and yard.  Make sketches of your yard and write the plant names on it for reference.  Save the labels that come with plants when you are landscaping.
• If you don’t know the name of a plant, take a representative sample with intact leaves, flowers, and/or berries to a garden center to be identified. Don’t take a photo since it may not show enough detail to identify it.
• Do not grow poisonous plants if you have young children or pets. Call the Poison Center at 800.222.1222 to find out if your plants are poisonous or safe.
• If possible, have a separate play area designed for toddlers with nontoxic plants.

Now, what are the best of the nontoxic plants?   Easy- those that are both edible and pretty.
The winners are:

• Nasturtium
• Daisies
• Roses (watch out for the thorns)
• Pot Marigold (make sure you only use Pot Marigolds, the French Marigolds are not edible)
• Sunflowers
• Violas
• Pansies
• Lavender
• And my personal favorite- the Ever-bearing Strawberry  

Regardless of what you plant or already have in your yard, be prepared for toddler tasting and have our number, 800-222-1222, handy.  Although the Poison Center cannot identify plants over the phone, we can still help if an unknown plant or berry is eaten or touched.

Keep in mind, just because some berries are safe for birds and animals does not mean they are safe for people, and some plants that are not toxic to humans are harmful to animals. To protect your animal friends so they can be part of your family for years to come, call VET PETS at 800-572-5842 for all animal exposures.

Lists of safe and unsafe plants are never complete and can be hard to understand.  To ask about a plant, call the Poison Center at 800.222.1222, or check out our plant page.

I don’t think so!  Exposures to poisons happen all the time; they are a part of everyday living.
You just didn’t know to call the Poison Center.

If you are lucky, you can get away with this, but there are times when you really need to call.

Can you spot the exposures to poisons my friends at the Poison Center worry about?

• 6 am- Alarm goes off, you roll out of bed, stagger to the shower, wash your hair and get medicated shampoo in your eyes.
• 7 am- Breakfast on the run. You grab a cup of coffee, a blueberry muffin and a little mold.
• 8 am- Arrive at day care with an open diaper bag, an empty bottle of liquid pain reliever, and a toddler with a sticky face.
• 9 am- Safe at work! Then the toner cartridge for the copy machine leaks.
• 10 am- <sigh> Coffee break <at last> After the second cup you realize no one rinsed the coffee maker after cleaning it.
• 11 am- In a hurry, cleaning the white board with the spray nozzle pointed the wrong way.
• 12 pm- Lunch time, sitting in traffic with smelly exhaust and you get a killer headache.
• 1 pm- Your mom calls. The dog got into the trash and ate the rest of your moldy blueberry muffin.
  • You remind her to call VET PETS, a service of the Washington Poison Center.
• 2 pm- Still have the killer headache, left over from lunch, so you take 4 Tylenol.
• 3 pm- Your co-worker was medicating his own headache and he accidently takes 3 of his Zyban instead of Ibuprofen.
• 4 pm- Coffee break <again>, this time the coffee maker is cleaned and rinsed.  After the first sip you ask yourself, did I use creamer or something else?
• 5 pm- Heading home, accident on the freeway, overturned semi leaking some kind of smelly liquid.
• 6 pm- Pick the kids up from day care, and discover your baby has been snacking from her dirty diaper.
• 7 pm- Fixing dinner, chicken and fresh picked mushroom casserole. Why are there raw giblets in your toddler’s mouth?
• 8 pm- Kids in bed at last, relaxing with a glass of wine, but after a few sips, you don’t feel so well. Never trust a friend to scavenge mushrooms for dinner.
• 9 pm- Your husband has a senior moment, and takes his evening meds, twice, by mistake.
• 10 pm- You have your own senior moment, and take his meds, by mistake.
• 11 pm- Finally, bedtime! It’s got to be better tomorrow. And if not, you’ve got the number memorized now, 800-222-1222.
• 12 am- Silence in the house. Everyone is asleep.

•  3 am- Carbon monoxide detector goes off.

Still think you have no reason to call the Poison Center?

Call the poison center at 800-222-1222 whenever you, a friend, or a family member is exposed to a poison, or to ask a question about a substance.  No question is silly and we like to hear from you.  For pet exposures call VET PETS, at 800-572-5842.

Today all donations made through The Seattle Foundation’s website will receive a percentage of the matching funds pool.  This percentage is based on how much is raised.

And, you never know, you might be the lucky donor to win a Golden Ticket.

♫  When the snake bites,
When the bee stings,
When the food goes bad,
Your GiveBIG donation keeps Washington safe, and then you will feel so glad! ♫

You CAN make a difference: donate to the Washington Poison Center at http://tiny.cc/MrYuk4ever through the Seattle Foundation’s #GiveBIG day!

 On May 15^th, Mr. Yuk will get more bang from your buck!

Last year the Poison Center helped 65,583 people and handled 43,387 follow up phone calls. What is a follow up calls? This is a call between Poison Center staff and your home, your doctor, or your hospital to ensure that you, or your loved ones, are doing as expected.  Follow up calls provide any additional assist needed and answer any questions that may have come up.

Let’s walk through a few of my Case Files.

Case One- Boys Will Be boys!

Call #1- Dad calls the Poison Center because his teenage boys are dueling with the Windex bottles instead of washing the windows. Of course, the teen that actually gets the Windex in his eye is the one wearing the contact lenses. The Poison Center makes recommendations for his care and provides instructions for his eye irrigation.

Call #2- Follow up call to ensure his eye doing as expected and he does not need to be seen by the doctor. Poison Center staff provides additional instructions for monitoring the eye and when to call back if needed.

Case Two- The Attraction Distraction

Call #1- Grandma is listening to her granddaughter tell all about her new boyfriend while she is filling pill keepers. She intends to take her Simvastatin as soon as she is done.  However, due to the distraction, Grandma accidentally takes Grandpa’s blood pressure medicine.  She calls the Poison Center to see if she needs to go to the hospital.  After a careful history and evaluation, the Poison Center advises she can stay home as long as she can check her blood pressure as instructed and is not alone, due to the risk of light headedness and concern over falling.  Grandpa is gone for the weekend, so the granddaughter decides that an impromptu sleep over at Grandma’s is in order.

Call #2- Follow up call to ensure Grandma is tolerating the medication well and her blood pressure is within the safe limits the Poison Center provided.

Call #3- Follow up call to ensure Grandma is out of the woods.  The Poison Center also learns the granddaughter Facebooked how great they were!  Grandma’s status: still at home.

Case Three- The Long Follow Up

Call #1- Wife calls because her husband overdosed.  The Poison Center evaluates and she is advised to call 911 due to the medication involved.

Call #2- Follow up call between the Poison Center and the medics. The Poison Center recommends an Emergency Department evaluation and lets medics know to start an IV, to watch for seizures while enroute to the Emergency Department, and treatment options if they should occur.

Call #3- Follow up call between the Poison Center and the Emergency Department.  The Poison Center alerts the Emergency Department that patient is enroute by ambulance and provides treatment advice specific to the medication, then faxes over recommendations. A conference call between the Emergency Department physician and the Poison Center’s medical toxicologist is offered as needed.

Call #4- Follow up call between the Poison Center and the Emergency Department.  Patient arrived safely, but he did have a seizure enroute, medics were prepared and he was treated quickly.

Call #5- Follow up call between the Poison Center’s medical toxicologist and the Emergency Department physician.

Call #6- Follow up call between the Poison Center and the Emergency Department to see how he is doing.  The Poison Center learns he will be admitted.

Calls #7 thru 9 over the next 2 days- Follow up calls between the Poison Center and the hospital to ensure he continues to improve as anticipated and offer recommendations as needed.

Call #10- Follow up call between the Poison Center and hospital. The Poison Center learns that he was discharged home with his family and is doing well.

Why Donate to the Poison Center?  Because, you can make a difference.

• Your donation helps parents raise their kids safely.
• Your donation provides reassurance and assistance to keep families at home if possible.
• Your donation saves lives.

Please donate at http://tiny.cc/MrYuk4ever to help make our region a healthier and more vital place to live.  Donations made to the Poison Center through the Seattle Foundation website on May 15^th, 2013 (PDT) will receive a pro-rated portion of the matching funds or “stretch” pool.  The amount of the “stretch” depends on the total donations raised on May 15^th.

Rally your friends and family, encourage them to donate because every dollar counts and on May 15^th   Mr. Yuk will get more bang from your buck!

St. Patrick’s Day with Mr. Yuk

March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day and I am going to celebrate!  “How” you ask, “does a big green dude celebrate St. Patrick’s Day”?  Just like everyone else– with feasting, drinking, shamrocks, limericks and (because I don’t want to get pinched) wearing green.

Let’s just look at my list and make sure I got it all covered.

♣ I’m having corned beef for dinner so I called my friends at the Poison Center at 800-222-1222 to ask them if I can cook corned beef ahead of time. I don’t have lots of time to cook . After all, this is a busy month for me with Poison Prevention Week, meeting the poster contest winner, and celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.  They told me the USDA has a fact sheet called Corned Beef and Food Safety that I should check out. I knew they would point me in the right direction.

♣ Corned beef is so salty I’m going to need lots to drink.  Now we all know about green beer, but you can make green apple juice too.  A few drops of food coloring will safely change the color of your favorite beverage.

♣ I’m decorating my cupcakes with candy shamrocks because the real shamrocks are lovely to look at, but not recommended for eating!  They contain oxalates which can cause stomach upset and a sore mouth if eaten.  Don’t ruin your day by forgetting this. Um, don’t ruin it by eating too many cupcakes either.

♣ Wearing green – I’ve got this one covered, all year long!

 OK, I think we have it:

√ Feasting
√ Drinking
√ Shamrocks
√ Wearing green
√ A limerick

Oh!  I almost forgot the limerick!

When poison is running amok,
You think you are down on your luck.
He answers your call
And saves you from all,
The mascot you call Mr. Yuk.

I’m so excited.  I think I’ll just start a day early at the St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 16th in Seattle.

See you there!

Poppy Long, age 7 did this wonderful poster featuring the friends of Mr. Yuk under a big rainbow

Isaiah Colobong, age 12 did this poster warning about the dangers of poison.

Kenneth Crockett, age 12, reminds us to be careful of chemical products.

Tristen Queen, age 11, did a great picture of me!

Congratulations to the runners-up!

Mr. Yuk is excited to announce this year’s Poison Prevention Week poster contest winner…Kaleo Smith, age 10, of Anacortes! As part of our annual Poison Prevention Week celebration, the Washington Poison Center held a children’s poster contest with the theme, “Be Safe with Mr. Yuk.”  Kaleo’s design highlights the safe use of chemicals, especially ones in spray cans, around the house.  Kaleo’s winning poster can be found on the Washington Poison Center’s website. For his efforts, Kaleo wins a check for $500, a visit from Mr. Yuk, and his artwork featured on the statewide 2013 Poison Prevention Week poster.  The contest sponsor, Umpqua Bank, will also display his poster at each of their Western Washington branches.

“Kaleo made excellent use of Mr. Yuk in his design. Putting Mr. Yuk stickers on cleaners, chemicals, and other products helps remind us to be safe.” said Jim Williams, Executive Director of WAPC.  “We are grateful to Umpqua Bank for sponsoring our contest.  Their support is indispensable in helping us spread the word to all residents of our state regarding the dangers of poison.”

March 17-23, 2013, is National Poison Prevention Week and the staff at the Washington Poison Center is asking all Washington State residents to help celebrate by raising awareness about poison prevention and Mr. Yuk, in homes and schools. Visit the poison center’s website at www.wapc.org for safety tips, handouts and teaching materials.  As always, a sheet of the infamous Mr. Yuk stickers can be obtained free of charge by contacting the Washington Poison Center or by picking them up at your nearest Bartell Drugs Pharmacy.

Mr. Yuk, the symbol of poison safety, has been part of the culture in Washington State since 1974.  This year, during the month of March, in addition to appearing at Family night at the Anacortes Boys and Girls Club on March 14^th to meet Kaleo, Mr. Yuk will walk in the St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 16^th in Seattle and appear at the following Bartell Drug stores:

• March 22^nd – Renton Fairwood 3:00pm – 6:00pm
• March 23^rd  – Sammamish 10:00 am – 1:00pm
• March 23^rd  – Seattle Hill Road 2:00pm – 5:00pm

Do you see that pretty little blue Easter egg? It looks sweet nestled beside those beautiful blooms and blends in so well, a perfect hiding place. Just think how it will smell in a week if your kids don’t find it right away, ewwww. Each year I get a few calls from parents whose two-year-old has found that egg and eaten it! Double ewwww!

Basic egg safety for Easter egg hunts:

• Don’t use cracked eggs for hunting, bacteria can enter that crack

• When dying eggs, return them to the refrigerator within two hours

• When hiding eggs, protect them from dirt, lawn chemicals, and pets

• Eggs should only be out of the refrigerator for two hours if you use them in an Easter egg hunt

• Hard boiled eggs are good for seven days when properly refrigerated

Better yet, dye a few eggs to have for decoration on the Easter table(only out 2 hours, please!) and use plastic eggs, which can be decorated with stickers; it’ll give you one less worry!

Happy Hunting!,

I learned that the European gypsy moth is the most damaging forest insect pest ever introduced into North America.  Yes, introduced—it is not native to Washington State.  You know what a mess tent caterpillars make of our landscape?  Well, the gypsy moth is much more destructive and can defoliate hundreds of thousands of acres of forest in a single year.  Forest defoliation destroys wildlife habitat, increases the risk of wildfire, affects water quality, and can disrupt stream habitat for migrating salmon.  There is no way I want to see Washington State without our forests, wildlife, and salmon!

For such a little pest it has a huge impact on our economy, and not in a good way.  If the gypsy moth becomes established, costly quarantines will be imposed on our state’s nursery, forestry, and Christmas tree industries.  Also, states with permanent populations of the gypsy moth spray 1,000 times more pesticide in a single year to suppress them than Washington does to eradicate it.  No one wants more pesticides.

I also discovered that Gypsy moth caterpillars can trigger allergic reactions in some people, causing skin welts, rashes, and swelling.  The gypsy moth is more of a health threat than the products used to get rid of them!

For over 30 years, WSDA has successively prevented the gypsy moth from spreading to our state by eradicating small isolated populations.  So, how do they do this and still keep Washington residents safe?

First, they eliminate gypsy moth caterpillars using a biological insecticide, Btk, on trees and shrubs in the area around the egg mass locations.  Btk is a naturally occurring soil bacterium (meaning it is already in the dirt). It affects only caterpillars and has been used for decadesto control the gypsy moth.  Relax Dudette, you and your kids aren’t caterpillars, so this is not toxic for you.

Then, they stop the mating cycle with a pheromone or sex attractant that confuses male gypsy moths so they cannot find female gypsy moths to mate with—effectively stopping egg production.  Since between 500 and 1,000 gypsy moth caterpillars can emerge from a single egg mass it is very important to prevent the boy moths from finding the girl moths and reproducing.  Pheromones target a specific species, in this case, the gypsy moth. Dude, stop sweating it, you aren’t a gypsy moth; it’s not going to affect you.

The gypsy moth feeds on more than 500 species of trees and plants and reproduces very rapidly. Visit the Washington State Department of Agriculturefor more information on the gypsy moth program or call the gypsy moth toll-free hotline at 1-800-443-6684.

If you have any questions about Btk or pheromones, or think you’ve been exposed to them, give my friends at the Poison Center a call at 800-222-1222. And be glad you aren’t a gypsy moth—they aren’t very popular!