Health and Safety External Resources
Health Canada Warning: Water beads may pose life-threatening risks to young children
Health Canada is warning parents and caregivers about the risks of water beads. These tiny beads, also known as jelly beads, hydro orbs, crystal soil, sensory beads, or orb beads, are water-absorbing gel beads that can grow up to 1,500 times their size when placed in water. Water beads can be very harmful if swallowed or put in the ears or nose. If ingested, water beads can continue to grow inside the body leading to potentially life-threatening injuries. Water beads and products containing them should be kept out of sight and reach of children; if you suspect that your child has ingested a water bead, call the Canadian Poison Centre hotline at 1-844-POISON-X (Quebec residents call 1-800-463-5060 to reach the Centre antipoison du Quebec).
Maintaining Safety with Fresh Eyes
When it comes to making observations about the environment, it can be challenging to look with fresh eyes. We may notice a glaring safety issue immediately, such as a spill that needs to be mopped up, but smaller issues may fade into the background until they are no longer as noticeable as they first were. When it comes to maintaining a safe environment, it is essential that early childhood educators consistently look at the environment with fresh eyes. Here are a few suggestions for how to keep safety top of mind.
Did you know that drowning doesn’t look like drowning?
Drowning doesn't always look as you might expect. In ten percent of child drownings, an adult actually watches the child drown without having any idea of what is happening. Here's what parents and caregivers need to know and watch for.
Emerade® auto-injector recall
| Do you have any children with life-threatening allergies in your program? If so, please be aware that there has been a recall of the Emerade® 0.3 mg and 0.5 mg auto-injector devices in Canada. If you have any of these auto-injectors for children in your program, please visit Health Canada for details. |
Food Allergy Awareness Month
May is Food Allergy Awareness Month in Canada and we encourage you to participate in the “Know it. Treat it.” campaign. This campaign is about de-mystifying anaphylaxis and empowering all Canadians to “Know” what the signs and symptoms are and how to “Treat” anaphylaxis. Here are some fact sheets that you can post and share in your CNC program!Canada’s New Toll-Free 1-844 POISON-X Number for Poison Centres
Health Canada, in collaboration with poison centres servicing most provinces and territories, is implementing Canada’s toll-free number, 1-844 POISON-X (or 1-844-764-7669), to facilitate access to poison centre services. Poisoning is a major cause of illness and death in Canada and internationally. In 2020, Canada’s poison centres managed 215,589 cases, of which more than one-third involved a child aged 5 or under. Be sure to share this new number with parents and colleagues so they know who to call in a poison emergency!