Did you know that unintentional poisoning causes more deaths than car accidents and house fires in the United States? And that the death rate from poisoning has been rising in this country in recent years?

This is National Poison Prevention Week—and an important part of poison prevention can be found in a toll free phone call to Poison Help, a free service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Poison Help—1-800-222-1222—automatically forwards you to a poison control center in your area, where you can talk with an expert in poison emergencies.

Call Poison Help, for example, if you took a medicine incorrectly, used a strong cleaning product without gloves, ate food that was left out too long, or were bitten by a spider.

Also call if you think your child swallowed a poison such as a cosmetic or personal care product, a cleaning substance, or a part of a plant.

Don’t wait for signs of poisoning, the experts warn—they’ll help with any possible poisoning, even if you aren’t sure it’s occurred. They say that often your problem can be solved on the phone. (If a victim isn’t breathing, call 911 first.) The poison expert also might call back to check on you.

If you need a doctor or ambulance, the poison expert will tell you right away, and he or she may also call your local hospital to give treatment information ahead of your arrival.

Poison Help recommends that you keep its number near your phone (call the number to receive free magnets), or enter the number into speed dial. It also offers tips at its website on preventing poisoning, and how to help in a poisoning emergency.

Have you ever had a poisoning emergency, or called Poison Help?

They are the doctor's words that send chills up a parent's spine.

"Discontinue giving your baby that medicine immediately!"

A routine call to my baby's doctor last week left me more concerned than I was before I called about his lingering cold. Apparently the over-the-counter antihistamine that the pediatrician had prescribed for him was no longer recommended for babies.

The panic I felt was too similar to last year's discovery that my infant son's baby bottles contained the potentially harmful chemical, bisphenol A. And the shock I had several months later when over-the-counter infant cough medicines (including the one prescribed for my little guy) were taken off the market because they were potentially harmful.

I delved into the Internet to learn what I could about the most recent change in the minimum age for certain medications. I found that it was the latest development during an ongoing study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of over-the-counter children's cough and cold medicine, an annual $2 billion industry.

In January, FDA issued a nationwide Public Health Advisory recommending that these products not be used in children under the age of two because of the risk of serious and potentially life-threatening side effects.

Now, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (the nonprofit for over-the-counter medicine companies) has announced that its members are voluntarily modifying their cough and cold medicine labels to state "do not use" in children under four years of age—a move that FDA supports. The companies are also introducing new child-resistant packaging and new measuring devices for the products.

The labels will change in the coming months, says FDA, while the medicines' availability will not be affected.

You can see a list of the products that will sport the new warning labels. You might also be interested in FDA's tips for giving over-the-counter cough and cold medicine to children, and information about giving nonprescription medicine to children in general.

You can also subscribe to FDA's e-mail lists. I signed up for its press releases and consumer health information to hopefully help me know sooner if there's a change in an over-the-counter children's medicine that my little guy's taking.

Have you been affected by a recall or relabeling of a children's medicine?

The other day, I was startled to notice my 14-month-old watching me while I ate an apple. When I peeled it and handed it to him, his eyes lit up as he bit into it like a big kid (until he accidentally dropped it and our dog got it, and that was it).

Children watch us and emulate us in so many ways, not the least of which are our eating habits and level of physical activity. Today is the 80th annual Child Health Day, and this year’s theme is “Eat Healthy and Be Active for a Healthy Future.”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) estimates that one in six U.S. children between the ages of two and 19 is overweight. In less than 30 years, obesity has more than doubled among children ages 2-5 and more than tripled among children ages 6-12 and adolescents ages 13-19.

Being overweight is a risk factor for serious health consequences such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease.

HHS, which sponsors the presidentially proclaimed Child Health Day, urges adults to take the surgeon general’s pledge to:

• Be a role model by making healthy choices for myself.
• Help children be physically active through everyday play and participation in sports.
• Support children’s healthy eating habits.

You can celebrate Child Health Day by following some tips for you and your children on eating healthy and being active. And be sure to check out the child obesity prevention checklists for parents and other caregivers, schools and teachers, and communities.

The Federal Citizen Information Center also offers information on helping overweight children become healthier, and USA.gov offers links to child health information for parents.

Do you try to lead a healthy lifestyle as a role model for children?

Did you know that the number one cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers may be lurking in your home? The culprit—elevated levels of radon—is estimated to be found in nearly one out of every 15 homes in the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Some 20,000 people will die this year due to breathing too much radon without even knowing it. Among smokers, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas found in nearly all soils. It can leak through cracks into your home, where it can get trapped and build up. You can't see radon, and you can't smell or taste it. Any home can have a radon problem—new and old homes, well-sealed and drafty homes, and homes with or without basements.

The EPA and the Surgeon General of the United States have recommended that all houses be tested for radon. I thought that my house had a radon tester, but while researching this post, I learned that it’s just a monitor—which sports the recommendation to test for radon every two years.

Luckily, many states offer free or discounted radon test kits; you can check your state’s program on EPA’s map. Radon test kits are also available by calling 1-800-SOS-RADON (1-800-767-7236), and from some local or state American Lung Associations and home improvement stores.

If you have elevated levels of radon in your home, professionals can help fix the problem, often for about the same cost as other common home repairs.

For more facts on radon, visit EPA's general information, its citizens' guide to radon, and its consumers' guide to radon reduction. Pueblo.gsa.gov also offers information on the deadly gas, and the National Institutes of Health and USA.gov offer useful links to more information on radon.

Have you seen any of the presidential $1 coins in your change? The U.S. Mint has issued more than one billion of these coins since February 2007. The coins are issued in the order the presidents served, beginning with George Washington, and four coins come out each year.

Tomorrow the seventh presidential $1 coin makes its debut: Andrew Jackson’s. As a boy, Jackson fought in the Revolutionary War, and later gained national prominence as a hero of the War of 1812, when his troops defeated the British at New Orleans. Jackson was nicknamed "Old Hickory" for his firm discipline as a commander, and he once killed a man in a duel over his honor. He served two terms in office as president from 1829 to 1837.

Tomorrow’s ceremony issuing the new presidential $1 coin will be held at Jackson’s home, The Hermitage, near Nashville, Tennessee. The public is invited for free, and can exchange dollar bills for Andrew Jackson presidential $1 coins.

Along with the Presidential $1 coins, the U.S. Mint also is issuing gold collectible coins of the first ladies. But since Jackson’s wife, Rachel, died just a few months before his inauguration, the First Spouse gold coin representing his presidency features Liberty as depicted on a U.S. coin during his time in office.

Contact your bank to find out if it has the presidential $1 coins. See the coin designs (including the upcoming eighth coin), and read a citizens committee's design recommendations to the Secretary of the Treasury. For more information on new currency, visit USA.gov’s Currency and Economy page and FAQ on new dollar designs. Finally, for a little fun, unwind with some online coin-doku.

Have you seen any of the presidential $1 coins in circulation? Are you collecting them?