Winter Poison Safety and Common Seasonal Hazards

Iowa winters bring freezing temperatures, holiday gatherings, seasonal illnesses, and more time spent indoors. They can also bring poison safety risks that may not be obvious.

Carbon monoxide, cold and flu medicines, button batteries, alcohol, household chemicals, and holiday decorations can all cause serious harm when they are used or stored incorrectly.

Learn about common winter hazards and how to help protect your family throughout the season.

Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide poisoning is one of the most serious winter hazards. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas produced when fuels such as natural gas, propane, gasoline, oil, wood, or charcoal do not burn completely.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Symptoms

Common carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms may include:

Symptoms of CO poisoning may feel similar to the flu. Unlike many illnesses, carbon monoxide exposure usually does not cause a fever.

Be especially concerned if several people in the same home develop similar symptoms or if symptoms improve after leaving the building.

How Can You Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning? 

Follow these carbon monoxide poisoning prevention steps:

• Install a carbon monoxide detector on every level of your home and near sleeping areas.
• Test each detector regularly and replace batteries as recommended.
• Replace detectors according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Never use a generator inside a home, garage, basement, shed, or enclosed porch.
• Place generators at least 20 feet away from doors, windows, and vents.
• Never warm up a vehicle inside an attached garage, even when the garage door is open.
• Do not use an oven, grill, camp stove, or outdoor propane heater to heat your home.
• Have furnaces, fireplaces, wood stoves, chimneys, and other heating equipment inspected regularly.
• Clear snow, ice, leaves, and debris away from vents and exhaust pipes. 

Carbon monoxide detector maintenance is an important part of winter home safety. Check detectors before cold weather arrives and after any power outage or battery replacement.

If a carbon monoxide detector sounds or you suspect an exposure, move everyone to fresh air immediately. Call 911 for anyone unconscious, having trouble breathing, confused, or seriously ill.

Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medications

Cold and flu season often means more prescription and over-the-counter medicines in the house. Many products contain the same active ingredients, so taking more than one can lead to an accidental overdose. 

Practice medication safety by following these tips:

• Read the entire label before taking or giving medicine.
• Follow the recommended dose and timing instructions.
• Check active ingredients before combining cold, flu, pain, or fever products.
• Store all medicines up, away, and out of sight.
• Keep medicine in its original container.
• Use child-resistant packaging and close the cap completely after every use.

Child-resistant packaging can help slow children down, but it is not childproof. Good child safety habits also include keeping purses, bags, coats, and overnight luggage containing medicine out of reach.

Button Battery Safety

Button batteries are small, round batteries found in many household products, including:

A swallowed button battery can become stuck in the esophagus and cause severe burns in a short amount of time. A button battery placed in the nose or ear can also cause serious tissue damage.

Do not wait for symptoms if you think someone swallowed a button battery. Call the Poison Help line immediately at 1-800-222-1222.

Small Magnet Safety

High-powered [1.1]magnets may be found in toys, building sets, jewelry, desk products, and household items. Swallowing more than one magnet can cause the magnets to attract each other through the walls of the intestines, causing internal tears or bleeding.

Practice magnet safety by:

• Keeping small magnets away from young children.
• Checking toys regularly for loose or missing magnets.
• Teaching children and teens not to place magnets in their mouths, noses, or ears.

Seek immediate medical help if a magnet may have been swallowed. Do not wait for pain or other symptoms to appear.

Alcohol Poisoning and Safe Storage

Holiday gatherings may include beer, wine, liquor, mixed drinks, or other products containing alcohol. Even a small amount of alcohol can be dangerous for a young child.

To support safe alcohol storage:

• Keep alcoholic drinks out of sight and reach.
• Store bottles in a locked cabinet when possible.
• Do not leave unfinished drinks on tables, counters, or floors.
• Clean up immediately after parties and gatherings.

Call 911 immediately if someone is unconscious, having trouble breathing, or cannot be awakened. For questions about a possible exposure, call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.

Cannabis Product Safety

Cannabis products can look like:

Children may not recognize the difference.

Never use cannabis products in front of young children, who may copy adult behavior. Avoid leaving products in purses, backpacks, vehicles, or on bedside tables.

Call Poison Help right away if a child may have eaten or touched a cannabis product.

Household Chemicals and Automotive Products

Winter often brings extra cleaning, home maintenance, and automotive work. Common seasonal products may include antifreeze, windshield washer fluid, drain cleaners, fuel additives, and strong cleaning products.

Help prevent poisoning by following these steps:

• Keep products in their original labeled containers.
• Never transfer a chemical into a cup, bottle, jar, or food container.
• Lock chemicals away from children and pets.
• Do not mix cleaning products.
• Use products only in well-ventilated areas.
• Follow all label directions.

Antifreeze and some windshield washer fluids can be extremely dangerous when swallowed. Their bright colors may make them attractive to children.

If someone swallows, inhales, or gets a household chemical in their eyes or on their skin, call Poison Help for immediate guidance.

Sidewalk Salt and Ice Melt Products

Ice melt products help prevent slips and falls, but can be harmful if swallowed. They may also irritate the skin, eyes, mouth, or stomach. Use ice melt products safely:

• Store them in their original containers.
• Keep them away from children and pets.
• Clean up spills promptly.
• Discourage children from playing with salt, crystals, or pellets.
• Wash hands after handling these products.
• Wipe pets’ paws after outdoor walks.
• Follow the product label when applying ice melt.

Decorative Plant Safety

Seasonal plants can add color to a home, but some may cause irritation or illness when eaten.

Plants commonly seen during the winter holidays include:

Even plants that are considered low-risk may cause choking, coughing, mouth irritation, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

Place plants out of reach and clean up fallen berries, leaves, and flowers. Call Poison Help before trying home remedies after a plant exposure.

General Winter Child Safety Tips

Young children explore by touching and tasting. Visiting relatives, holiday travel, guests, and changes in daily routines can create new risks.

Strengthen child safety during winter by:

• Checking homes you visit for medicines, batteries, chemicals, alcohol, and cannabis products.
• Keeping purses, suitcases, and coats off the floor.
• Using child-resistant packaging correctly.
• Supervising children around new toys.
• Checking floors after gifts are opened.
• Keeping the Poison Help number saved in every caregiver’s phone.

Never wait for symptoms before calling about a possible poisoning.

Winter Poison Safety FAQ

What are the most common winter poisoning hazards?

Common winter poisoning hazards include carbon monoxide, cold and flu medicines, button batteries, magnets, alcohol, cannabis products, antifreeze, windshield washer fluid, ice melt products, decorative plants, and holiday decorations.

How can you prevent carbon monoxide poisoning during winter?

To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, install working detectors, inspect fuel-burning appliances, keep vents clear, operate generators outside and at least 20 feet away from your home, and never warm a vehicle inside an attached garage.

What are the first symptoms of CO poisoning?

Early CO poisoning symptoms may include headache, dizziness, nausea, weakness, confusion, and unusual tiredness. Symptoms may affect several people in the same building at the same time.

What does carbon monoxide smell like?

Carbon monoxide does not have a smell, color, or taste. You can only detect it with a working carbon monoxide detector. This is why CO is sometimes called the “silent killer.”

Where should a carbon monoxide detector be installed?

Install a carbon monoxide detector on every level of the home and near sleeping areas. Follow the manufacturer’s placement and maintenance instructions.

What should I do if a child swallows a button battery?

Call the Poison Help line immediately at 1-800-222-1222. Do not wait for symptoms or try to make the child vomit.

What should I do if I think someone has been poisoned?

Do not wait for symptoms. Call the Iowa Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222 for free, confidential guidance from a poison expert.

Stay Safe This Winter

If someone has swallowed, inhaled, touched, or been splashed with a potentially poisonous substance, call the Iowa Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222.

Poison help is free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call right away, even when you are not sure an exposure is dangerous. A poison expert will help you understand what to do next.