The B.C. Poison Control Centre receives more than 70 calls every day about someone being poisoned, and more than half occur in children less than six years old.
"Every hour at least one child in B.C. is poisoned," said Debra Kent, interim managing director.
Common poisons among children are cough and cold medication, pain medicines, plants and cleaning substances.
Many child poisonings occur just prior to meal time when they are hungry and least supervised, said Kent, noting this year's Poison Prevention Week March 14 to 20 is themed "Out of reach .. out of sight".
The goal is to increase awareness on how to prevent it and what to do if it occurs.
The control centre is available 24 hours a day for advice and information by calling 1-604-682-2344 Ext. 62126. Parents with small children should keep the number handy with other emergency numbers.
For the complete "smart-version" of the Prince George Citizen visit our Digital Edition
