Oklahoma Poison Center warns parents of outdoor dangers; here's what to know

With more kids heading outside to enjoy the summer, the Oklahoma Poison Center says it wants to remind parents of the dangers of being outdoors.

Ranging from bites to accidents, the Oklahoma Poison Center said that while people are soaking up sunshine, so are creatures of all shapes and sizes.

The Oklahoma Poison Center says they see a 17% increase in call volume for venomous or poisonous behavior during the summer months compared to the winter months.

1. Winter (December-February) 6,625
2. Spring (March-May) 7,172
3. Summer (June-August) 7,736
4. Fall (September-November) 7,166

Kristie Edelen, the managing director for the Oklahoma Poison Center, said this is mainly due to kids being out of school and out in nature.

Edelen said the most common types of calls in the summer are snake and spider bites, as well as kids ingesting summer chemicals like pool chlorine or tiki torch fuel.

Snake Bites

According to the OPC, the department received 363 calls last year over snake bites, the highest it's been over the last 14 years.

Symptoms include pain, significant swelling and bleeding, and reactions such as swelling of the lips, tongue, throat and difficulty breathing or swallowing.

Spider Bites

One common type of call the center says it receives is spider bites. In Oklahoma, two types of dangerous spiders include the black widow and the brown recluse.

Luckily, those two spiders can be easily identified. The widow, by its distinct black color and markings under its abdomen, often in the shape of a red hourglass, and the recluse by its brown color and fiddle-shaped marking on its head. This shape on its head gives the spider another name, the fiddleback.

If you get bitten by a black widow, Edelen says you will develop symptoms within the first 1 to 2 hours – those symptoms include pain and cramping in the area that was bitten.

However, if you receive a bite from a brown recluse, Edelen says people may not know they were bitten until a few days later.

Symptoms from a brown recluse bite include darkening of the skin where the bite happened, and although rare, a bite could progress into problems with a person's kidneys.

Edelen says she wants parents to be aware of all types of factors when it comes to protecting one another, and that summer fun can turn dangerous in a flash.

However, Edelen says there are other things to worry about outdoors other than animals, including dangers coming from humans themselves.

When outdoors with your kids, be sure they steer clear of dangerous objects or chemicals, including sharp objects, hot grills, cleaners and fuel.

Fuel and Chemicals

Children who ingest fuel, such as outdoor torch fuel, can face a serious medical emergency.

OPC says children who consume fuel can have difficulty breathing and may choke or die in serious cases.

“Just being cognisant, especially as a parent, just recognizing those things that can potentially be harmful," Edelen said. "If I didn’t work in this setting, I may not recognize those things, such as tiki torch fuel, that may be potentially harmful to kiddos."

Swimming pools are another summer staple with hidden hazards, Edelen said. Pool maintenance chemicals, like chlorine, can cause coughing, choking, burns or serious eye and skin irritation if misused.

Edelen says kids can also be hurt from cleaning products, and wants to remind parents to put those types of products out of kids' reach.

With all the hidden hazards, it's important to stay aware and always call the Oklahoma Poison Center if you're concerned you or your child may have been bitten or ingested something hazardous.

The phone number to call is: 1(800) 222-1222.