56735

"The Heart of the Matter"

brought to you by NEMA - The National Emergency Medicine Assoc.

Transcripts: 567.3 to 567.5

Week: 567.3 Guest: Heather Paul, Exec.Dir., National Safe Kids Campaign Topic: Kids and home based toxins (part one of three) Producer/Host: Steve Girard

NEMA: There are poisons in your home....up next...

SPOT: NEMA...the National Emergency Medicine Association... fights our worst health enemies - heart disease, stroke, trauma. Call 800-332-6362.

NEMA: Home poisoning tragedies involve our youngsters, our babies... and we can prevent them by following the advice of Heather Paul of the National Safe Kids Campaign... and using our common sense... Heather says there's just one golden rule for keeping them safe...

PAUL: Store all medications, vitamins and household products locked out of sight.

NEMA: Another precaution has to do with a child's perception of medications...

PAUL: Parents too should not fall into the trap of calling medicine and vitamins candy and kind of luring their children in to taking it a little more easily because the Tylenol tastes like bubblegum.

NEMA: And Paul has advice for parents of young kids who often visit their grandparents....

PAUL: There's a tendency sometimes of older folks to take their pills and put them in paper bags and store them in odd places for convenience sake, but it can be very dangerous if the kids get into the bags.

NEMA: With 1.2 million unintentional poisonings of kids under 12... it's apparent we can do more to make our home a safer place. I'm Steve Girard at The Heart of the Matter.

Transcripts:

Week: 567.4 Guest: Heather Paul, Exec.Dir., National Safe Kids Campaign Topic: Lead poisoning in kids ( part two of three) Producer/Host: Steve Girard

NEMA: Getting the lead out....coming up...

SPOT: 15 years in the prevention of heart disease, stroke and trauma. The National Emergency Medicine Association. Call 800-332-6362.

NEMA: It can cause learning difficulties and lower intelligence.... Heather Paul of the National Safe Kids Campaign says lead poisoning continues to affect our children...

PAUL: Unfortunately we still have over 3 million children ages 5 and under that suffer from lead poisoning in the U.S. right now. And those are just the ones we know about. And the most common cause of lead poisoning is from the inhalation of dust from deteriorating lead based paint. So we always recommend that any apartment dweller or home owner living in space that was constructed before 1978, they better have, check with their landlord or have some sort of abatement specialist come in and check for lead based paint... because its very, very dangerous.

NEMA: Children between 1 and 3 years of age are at greatest risk. Because of their size, even small amounts of lead dust can mean high lead blood levels.... and big problems over time. Do you know whether the paint in your apartment or house contains lead? Find out! I'm Steve Girard at The Heart of the Matter.

Transcripts:

Week: 567.5 Guest: Heather Paul, Exec.Dir., National Safe Kids Campaign Topic: Carbon Monoxide poisoning (part three of three) Producer/Host: Steve Girard

NEMA: The carbon monoxide danger... coming up...

SPOT: For 15 years, the National Emergency Medicine Association has worked against stroke, heart disease and trauma. Join the effort, call 800-332-6362.

NEMA: Approximately two thousand child cases of carbon monoxide poisoning occur each year, and many of those children die. Heather Paul of the National Safe Kids Campaign says we should take it seriously...

PAUL: It's a really sneaky, dangerous, colorless and odorless and tasteless vapor. So it's very, very important to use a CO detector. They cost a little more than a smoke detector, 35 - 40 dollars, but it's worth it. There should be one in a sleeping area.

NEMA: Furnaces and heating units put out carbon monoxide, and if the venting system doesn't get rid of it... constant exposure means long term problems..

PAUL: The tragedy is that some people suffer in a chronic way, they just don't know it...and they're not dying immediately but their brain is really being denied oxygen, and over time it can create some kind of actual impairments - but certainly flu symptoms, headaches

NEMA: Have your chimney, flue, and vents cleaned each year, and get a carbon monoxide detector...to protect your family. I'm Steve Girard at The Heart of the Matter.

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