Digital News Report |

FDA’s ‘Lucky 13’ Tips for a Safe Halloween PDF

Digital News Report – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a list of things you can do to stay safe this Halloween. One trend that has been popular is wearing decorative contact lenses which can lead to permanent vision loss if they don’t come with a doctor’s prescription. The FDA also suggest other Halloween hazards that could cause injuries and you how you should avoid them.

Decorative Contact Lenses

The biggest warning is to stay away from the decorative contact lenses because of the serious damage it can cause. During the Halloween season these are in demand because people want to have the cat eyes or the glowing eyes or the giant eyes like Lady Gaga.

The over the counter decorative contact lenses are illegal because you have to have a prescription to buy them. These contact lenses can cause infections and other serious eye problems that can cause big problems and in some instances even blindness. The American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, the Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists and the American Optometric Association all are strongly against consumers using these decorative contact lenses. Watch the FDA informational video about the dangers of using decorative contact lenses without a prescription.

Costume Safety

Make sure the costume is made of flame resistant fabric. You can find this out on the label of the costume. With kids walking near pumpkins that have a flame it could possibly catch on fire. The FDA recommends polyester or nylon fabrics which tend to be flame-resistant.

Another thing to think about is to have some reflective and bright colors to the costumer. Purchase reflective tape which you can add to the costume to make it better for drivers on the road to see the kids.

Make sure the costume isn’t too long. You don’t want to be tripping and falling.

Make sure you can see with your mask. If you can’t see it will be difficult to watch for traffic. The FDA suggest wearing makeup and hats instead so that you don’t have to worry about seeing out of a mask.

The FDA suggest trying out the makeup a couple days in advance because you might be allergic. Do a test patch on your arm and see if you get a rash, redness, swelling, and any other irritation. If you have this happen, you are more than likely allergic and you wouldn’t want your whole face to be bright red and in pain the next day. The FDA suggest looking up the list of color additives in the makeup to see if they are all approved by the government agency. If it isn’t approved by the FDA don’t use it they suggest.

Candy that is Safe

Don’t eat the candy or treats until you get home so you can do a good inspection for anything suspicious. Look for tears, discoloration, or tiny pinholes. If it looks suspicious throw it out.

The FDA says to eat a snack before you go so you won’t be tempted to eat the candy before it has been inspected.

Don’t eat or take anything that isn’t commercially packaged.

If you have young kids take out chocking hazards. Peanuts, hard candies, small toys, or gum all are dangers.

Party Host Food Safety Tip

If you are hosting a Halloween party the FDA says to watch for juice that has been pasteurized or processed. I’m thinking apple juice is popular this time of year. If you are not sure if the fruit juice is pasteurized ask to find out. The FDA says most of the time the grocery story carries pasteurized juice products.

If you are going to do the bobbing for apples game the FDA suggest that you should completely rinse the apples before putting them in the water and if you want to be extra sure us a produce brush to scrub them extra good. The say that this will help reduce the amount of bacteria on the apples.

By: Victoria Brown

Decorative Contact Lenses FDA Consumer Dangers YouTube Video