Poisoning Prevention

Therese L. Canares

doi:10.1542/pir.36-2-82

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Therese L. Canares, MD

Hasbro Children’s Hospital, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI

Suggested Reading

Poison-proof Your Home: One Room at a Time Checklist. http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/roombyroom-checklist.htm
50+ Poisoning Prevention Tips. http://poisonprevention.org/50plusWaysToPreventPoisonings.pdf
Up & Away. http://www.upandaway.org/
Updates in the General Approach to the Pediatric Poisoned Patient. Barrrueto F Jr, Gattu R, Mazer-Amirshahi M. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2013;60(5):1203–1220
Evaluation of Changes in Poisoning in Young Children: 2002 to 2010. Spiller HA, Beuhler MC, Ryan ML, et al. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2013;29:635–640
The Growing Impact of Pediatric Pharmaceutical Poisoning. Bond GR, Woodward RW, Ho M. J Pediatr. 2012;160(2):265–270.e1

AUTHOR DISCLOSURE
Dr Canares has disclosed no financial relationships relevant to this article. This commentary does not contain a discussion of an unapproved/investigative use of a commercial product/device.

A 2-year-old child presented with drooling after ingestion of a red liquid from a container labeled as bottled water (Figure). The patient’s mother stated that she borrowed a small quantity of cleaning solution from a friend and placed it in a water bottle under the sink, which the child accessed while the mother was in another room. The child was observed in the pediatric intensive care unit for 24 hours without incident. This typical case highlights an increasing hazard to young children: unintentional ingestions.

Figure.

A water bottle containing cleaning solution that was ingested by the young child in this case (left) and the cleaning solution in its original packaging.

From 2000 to 2010 there were more than 2.5 million unintentional ingestions in children younger than 6 years. During that decade the number of unintentional ingestions per year increased by 12.4%. The 5 most common exposures in young children were cosmetics or personal care products, analgesics, household cleaning substances, foreign bodies or toys, and topical preparations.

Most unintentional ingestions occur in the child’s home, when the caregivers are home but not paying attention. Sixty percent of caregivers state …