The students of Ironton Elementary are a little more informed about the dangers of poisons after an assembly Monday afternoon.

As a part of Poison Prevention Week, Ironton Health Commissioner Laura Brown taught the students about how to distinguish a poison from something safe.

Many common household poisons like Murphy’s Oil Soap and mouthwash can look similar to apple juice and Gatorade, she told students.

“Look how they look alike,” she told the students. “Can you see the difference?”

Brown also taught the students about other poisons like Comet, a cleaner that has packaging similar to Parmesan cheese and bug spray which can be mistaken for cooking spray.

“Pretty poisons are look-alikes,” she said. “That’s what you have to look out for.”

Medicines can sometimes look like candy, Brown told students.

“If you go to grandma’s house and she has pills laying around you may think they’re candy but you need to ask grandma,” she said.

The students also had a coloring contest for prizes.

Each of the children’s pictures will be on display at the Ironton City Center.

Besides the assembly Monday, the students have also been learning about poisons in their character development class.

“(We teach them) that poisons can be pretty so be very careful,” Nancy Black, music and character development teacher, said.