8 Surprising Holiday Health Hazards You Should Know About
The holidays can be a total whirlwind of parties and gatherings, but they can come with some potential health hazards most people aren’t aware. Certain plants, ornaments, and even baking ingredients can become potential health issues if they’re not managed correctly—especially for kids and pets.
“We see a lot of people traveling this time of year—kids are home and relatives are visiting,” says Bruce Ruck, Pharm.D., managing director of the New Jersey Poison Control Center at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. “Sometimes dangers related to kids and pets get overlooked.”
While you’re probably aware you need to do things like check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and unplug your tree lights at night, there are plenty of other potential issues that aren’t as obvious. Have these holiday health hazards in mind while celebrating the season to keep everyone happy and healthy.
Guessing on the doneness of meat.
Seasoned cooks tend to just guesstimate on whether their roasts, turkeys, and other meats are done, but that’s a potentially dangerous practice, says Ellen Shumaker, Ph.D., director of outreach for the Safe Plates program at North Carolina State University. That’s why she recommends using a food thermometer. “This is the only reliable way to make sure a food is fully cooked to a safe endpoint temperature to kill harmful bacteria,” she says. “It can also help you avoid overcooking foods.” If it helps, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends that turkey have an internal temperature of 165 degrees and that ham has an internal temperature of 145 degrees. (Consult this chart for more types of meat and the right temperature for each.)
Leaving poinsettias and other poisonous plants down low.
Certain plants, including poinsettias, are dangerous to pets and shouldn’t be kept down low. (The ASPCA has a laundry list of toxic plants to avoid, in case you want to check the ones you have in your home.) They may also be dangerous to kids.
Ultimately, how dangerous a plant is “depends on how much they ingested,” says Jamie Alan, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University. “For children, call poison control. For pets, call your vet right away,” she says. Usually, eating a poinsettia can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, Alan says. “If you are concerned, avoid the plant and decorate with something else,” she adds.
In general, though, “you want to make sure that plants are not low to the ground,” Ruck says, adding, “we don't want small children eating any of them.”
Keeping baking extracts within reach of kids.
Baking extracts like vanilla and almond extract “have very large amounts of alcohol in them,” Ruck says. If you’re cooking with an extract, Ruck recommends putting it away in a safe place after you’re done using it (vs. leaving it sit out on the counter, where little hands can grab it). “If a child manages to drink enough vanilla extract, they can have symptoms of alcohol toxicity,” Alan says. If a child has a large amount, she recommends calling your local poison control center.
While you’re at it, chocolate, products with the sugar substitute xylitol, and raisins shouldn’t be left out—they can make pets sick, Ruck says.
Leaving out prescription medications.
Visiting relatives probably don’t think twice about leaving their prescription medication sit out, but this can be a potential hazard if it gets into the wrong hands. Ruck suggests giving guests a safe space to put their medications, along with marijuana edibles, vaping and nicotine products, and hand sanitizers.
Letting foods sit out for too long.
This is easy to do when loved ones are visiting, Shumaker points out, but it can raise the risk of a foodborne illness. “Bacteria that can make us sick can grow at room temperature, and so foods that need to stay hot or cold should be kept out at room temperature for no longer than four hours to reduce risk of foodborne illness,” she says.
Shumaker suggests this option if you’re planning to feed a lot of people over a longer period of time: Put the foods and snacks out in small quantities and replenish them over time. “You can also consider using equipment to help keep foods at the right temperature—for hot dishes, use equipment like slow cookers and chafing dishes to keep hot, and for cold dishes use ice,” she says.
Licking the spoon.
Licking the spoon of cake batter or cookie dough used to be an exciting reward, but Shumaker points out that it’s just not safe. “Raw flour and raw eggs can contain pathogens that could make you or kids sick, such as Salmonella or E.coli,” she says. “Make sure to clean and sanitize surfaces and utensils, and if you want to eat raw dough, consider using ready to eat dough that you can buy at the grocery store.”
Leaving button batteries out.
Button batteries, aka coin batteries, and magnets are a huge potential health hazard for kids and pets, Ruck says. Both are choking hazards and they can cause serious internal damage if they’re swallowed.
Having antique ornaments down low.
Antique ornaments and those from other countries don’t have to adhere to the same standards as modern decorations, Ruck points out. They can also be decorated with harmful lead paint that could cause health issues if licked or swallowed. His suggestion: Put them up high, out of the reach of kids and pets.
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