Just a few years ago, 66 poison centers in the USA reported over two million poisonings. Two-thirds of those involved children younger than 20 years of age.
The good news is that federal regulations in 1972 increased the safety of medications and home products (these are the caps you can't get off easily) and significantly lowered ER visits and deaths.
Yet teenagers continue to be admitted to hospitals for poisoning from inappropriate use of medications, such as pain relievers, antidepressants, and street drugs in apparent suicide attempts. And children younger than 12 continue to eat medications and drink poisons such as alcohol and cleaning solutions.
Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Children's Hospital in Seattle looked at hospital data for a 10-year period. Results were published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. They urge continued use of child-resistant devices. In other words, don't transfer hazardous stuff to other containers. Use a locked cabinet for household cleaning products and for medications even when children are older (make sure grandparents who have multiple medications know and follow these rules too).
If a poisoning emergency occurs, call 911. If you suspect a poisoning, call your regional poison control center. Find yours now through the American Association of Poison Control Centers and post the number by every phone: www.aapcc.org. |
