How Arizona parents can protect their children from poison hazards this holiday season

PHOENIX — Nothing poisons the joy and whimsy of Arizona’s holiday season like the sounds of children coughing, hacking, choking and hurling.

Unique holiday hazards can cause serious health issues, according to Bryan Kuhn, a pharmacist and clinical toxicologist at Banner Poison and Drug Information Center in Phoenix.

“Between Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years, there’s definitely unique seasonal calls that we’ll get,” Kuhn told KTAR News 92.3 FM.

Much of this has to do with travel since, he added.

How does travel cause unique holiday hazards in metro Phoenix?

Almost half — 49% — of Americans plan to travel through mid-January, according to Deloitte’s 2024 survey on holiday travel.

“People are traveling to other people’s homes or they’re having people stay in their homes,” Kuhn said.

This can mess with people’s usual routines — especially when it comes to storing medicine or other dangerous items in the house.

“For instance, let’s say the grandparents come and visit the house. … They might have medications in a non-lockable container.,” Kuhn said. “Maybe … they’re not cognizant of putting those potential poisons often out of reach of children.”

That’s just one example of the unique holiday hazards families should watch out for.

Festive plants can also cause unique holiday hazards for those in Valley

Throughout the year, plant-related calls are frequent at the poison center where Kuhn works, but during the holiday season, certain patterns emerge in the types of calls they receive.

“Christmas cactus, mistletoe or poinsettia plants … for these five to six weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, we definitely see a little bit of an uptick in those specific plant type exposures,” Kuhn said.

Children who love to put random things in their mouths may find these plants especially tantalizing when they’re celebrating the holidays.

“Most kids might get into a small amount, maybe a leaf or two or a berry or two,” Kuhn said. “Those might cause some mild, you know, nausea, vomiting, cramping, diarrhea.”

Parents should also be watchful when their children play outside.

“If you’re traveling to someone else’s home and another part of the state, or the country that you’re unfamiliar with what normally grows there, and your kid gets into it, obviously you’re not going to really have good context to understand the potential dangers,” Kuhn said.

Holiday season smokers in metro Phoenix should also need to be careful, he says

Speaking of ingestion, families should also watch out for relatives who enjoy using recreational drugs to relax during stressful festivities.

“People may leave a vape pen, or nicotine pouches, or cigarettes or alcoholic beverages, especially if you have a large family gathering,” Kuhn said. “If it’s within reach and sight of a child, that’s an opportunity that could have been avoided.”

Kuhn also said there’s a common misconception that cannabis won’t cause any problems if children ingest it.

“Nothing could be further from the truth,” Kuhn said. “We have seen a pretty substantial increase in the types of calls poison control centers have gotten since Arizona has gone to recreational cannabis products.”

Drowsiness and breathing issues are two signs a child may have ingested cannabis.

Protecting Phoenix children from unique holiday hazards

“Keep stuff out of sight, out of reach of children,” Kuhn said. “Children do tend to mimic behavior they see in adults or people they look up to.”

That’s why he recommends adults who want to drink, smoke or vape do so when children aren’t watching.

“If they see uncle smoking from a vape pen, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the child would want to mimic or mirror that behavior obviously without knowing the potential consequences,” Kuhn said.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Kate Ourada contributed to this report.