This week, Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Bailey Allen about preventing accidental poisoning in children and teens. Dr. Allen is a pediatrician and pediatric resident at MUSC Children’s Health.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Our home environment can be a dangerous place when it comes to unintentional or accidental poisoning, especially for young children. Doctor Bailey Allen is here to provide strategies and tips to help reduce this risk. Doctor Allen is a pediatrician and a pediatric resident at MUSC Children’s Health. Doctor Allen, how common is accidental poisoning in children in the United States?
Dr. Allen: Accidental poisoning is actually a really common issue in the United States. We see thousands of ED visits every year for accidental ingestions, and it can lead to a high rate of fatalities. 49 children, on average between ages zero and nine, and over 700 for teens, die each year from unintentional poisonings.
Conner: Well, what are some of the common causes of accidental poisoning in children and teens in the U.S. that originate in the home.
Dr. Allen: Medications are a big one. Even over-the-counter medications can be really dangerous. Prescription medications, there's also all the household items. I feel like we always hear about the laundry detergent pods, but also liquid laundry detergents. Any of your household cleaners, things you keep under the bathroom sink, your bleach. And then one that we've been seeing more and more commonly is drugs. So, edibles that are packaged to look like candy are a common thing that toddlers will ingest. E-cigarette cartridges and then alcohol that's kept in colorful packaging. And then for more of our teenagers, opioids are involved in a lot of accidental poisoning fatalities for those children in that 10 to 19 year old category. And then something that some people don't always think about that kids tend to ingest are the batteries and the magnets that they have in their toys.
Conner: And those small round button batteries are in all sorts of gadgets and items, and they can be especially dangerous to young children.
Dr. Allen: Yes, the button batteries, kids are really good at opening up their toys and pulling them out, and then they swallow them, and they're very dangerous because they can erode their esophagus.
Conner: What additional causes of accidental poisoning happen in the outdoor environment around our homes?
Dr. Allen: So really, all the things that you keep in your garage that kids could get into. Things like pool chemicals, chlorine packets, the sprays you put on your lawn, the pesticides, and something we often see because it kind of looks like juice as the tiki torch fluid that people use for their parties.
Conner: What strategies can parents and caregivers establish, then, to prevent children from access and harm from all these medicines and chemicals and various household items?
Dr. Allen: I think one of the biggest things is that child-resistant does not equal child-proof. So just because it's child-resistant does not mean that your child will not be able to open that packaging. Also, just making sure things are high up and out of reach. Anytime you use a medication, putting it back in a high cabinet that kids can't reach it, and not leaving it out on the counter or on the bedside table. And then when you have guests come into the home, if someone has medicine in their purse and they put that purse on the ground or on a chair, kids are likely to reach in there and pull that out.
Conner: What should we do if a child may have been exposed to any of these sources of poison in the home?
Dr. Allen: Obviously, for any immediately life-threatening symptoms, you know, kids not breathing, they're turning blue, call 911 or have them evaluated in the emergency room. But poison control is a really great resource. If you call 1-800-222-1222, they can provide you lots of information about what symptoms to monitor for and if you should have your child evaluated further.
Conner: Doctor Allen, thanks for this information about preventing accidental poisoning in children.
Dr. Allen: You're welcome.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
