Hazardous products in our home are most likely not something we think about on a regular basis. Hazards can be something as simple as leaving unsecured medication out in a child’s reach. The most common causes of home injury include falls, poisoning, fires and burns, choking and suffocation, drowning, firearms, and others. Of that 27% of the injuries are due to poising. Each year there are over 50,000 individuals call the Kentucky Poison Control number.

All of Kentucky’s home have potential hazardous products in them. By educating our clientele on how they can recognize and reduce the harm caused by the misuse of these products, we can reduce injury and poisonings in our community. Participants of the Hazardous Household Products workshop will be exposed to information about Poison Control, using products safely, selecting less hazardous cleaning products, making your own green cleaning products, proper storage of hazardous products and the safe disposal of hazardous products.

Carlisle County Extension office hosted 51 individuals for a program on Hazardous Household Products in Fall of 2019 (September, October and November). Of the 51 participants, 45 completed an evaluation indicating some change in the level of understanding before and after the program and the participants’ intent on changing behavior as a direct result of the programming. 

Statistically significant increases in knowledge of household safety were found for all three indicators including knowledge of the Poison Control Center phone number, advantages of pump spray over aerosol spray, and the dangers of mixing chlorine bleach with ammonia products.