DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF) – Local health experts are encouraging parents and kids to be safe this Halloween weekend.
The North Texas Poison Center, housed at Parkland Memorial Hospital, had a few tips for trick-or-treaters this week.
“Children will be children and each year we receive calls from anxious parents whose child has bitten into a glow stick or glow jewelry,” said Lizbeth Petty, MPH, NTPC public health educator. “The liquid will often squirt into the child’s mouth and even though it tastes awful, it will not poison a child.”
Petty said parents should have their child rinse their mouth with water until the bitterness has subsided.
Petty noted that Halloween make-up can also cause scary times if used incorrectly.
“Stay with the tried-and-true when it comes to make-up for costumes. Anything else can cause skin rashes or irritation,” Petty said. “Use cosmetics that are intended for the face and are labelled non-toxic. Don’t try homemade concoctions and be careful when using products that claim to ‘temporarily’ dye hair. While there are a lot of products on the market today that will give you the results you’re looking for, there are others that can result in a lot of irritation – both literally and figuratively.”
In the years 2016-2020, between October 28 and November 2 the Texas Poison Center Network said it received on average 2,844 exposure calls.
Authorities are also promoting street safety. According to the National Safe Kids Worldwide organization, kids are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year.
“You can make it easier for drivers to see your kids,” Kay said. “Give your child a flashlight or glow stick to carry or attach retroreflective hangtags or tape to their costumes. Anything you can do to make your child more visible will lesson the danger that they might be injured. Still, as a parent, you must be vigilant in protecting them.”
The Safe Kids Worldwide suggests that children under 12 should trick-or-treat and cross streets with an adult. It also urges parents and children to cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks.
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