Every so often, I run across things that all parents need to know. This is definitely one of those things....
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Oops. Look again. Is that
a sports drink? Flavored water? Juice? Or an all-purpose cleaner,
not meant for drinking?
“Fabuloso” is the latest
household cleaning product being mistaken for a beverage. The liquid
cleaner is purple, blue, yellow, or orange. Packaged in round
quart-sized bottles with colored caps, it resembles a number of
beverages in similar colors and packaging.
What will happen if you
drink “Fabuloso”? A swig could cause a bad taste in the mouth, a
slightly sore throat, and maybe a bit of nausea. Drinking large
amounts causes vomiting and diarrhea.
If you mistakenly swallow a
cleaning product, drink a small amount of water and call the poison
center at 1-800-222-1222. The experts there will tell you what to do
next.
To avoid the problem
altogether, be sure to:
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Read the labels on foods, drinks, and
medicines before eating or drinking.
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Store cleaning products apart from food,
drinks, and medicines.
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When possible, purchase cleaning products
with child-resistant closures.
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Be alert to product "look-alikes".
“Fabuloso” and cleaners
like it are not required to be in child-resistant packaging, because
they’re not expected to be dangerous. A child-resistant cap, though,
is a clue that the product should not be swallowed. (According to
Consumer Reports magazine, Colgate-Palmolive said it will begin
putting child-resistant closures on “Fabuloso” by the end of this
year.)
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Copyright 2010,
The National Capital Poison Center. All Rights Reserved.~Bridget
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