CHOP’s Poison Control Center: Top 5 substances kids ingested in 2014
For years, children less than 6 years of age have represented the majority of calls, nearly 60 percent in 2014. Here are the five substance that these kids got into.
Today's guest blogger is Michelle Swartz, RN, BSN, CSPI, a certified poison information specialist at The Poison Control Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
With the start of 2015, it means reflecting back on the Poison Control Center's calls and overall performance last year. We ask ourselves questions such as: What were our accomplishments? What were our weaknesses? Who doesn't know about our service? What were the most common calls to us? What ages were we called about? What substances were involved?
For years, children less than 6 years of age have represented the majority of calls, nearly 60 percent in 2014. Yet another question strikes, "what are these little ones getting into?" In David Letterman style, the top five substances involved in pediatric exposures for 2014 were:
5. Topical products
"Topical products" is a broad category of products. Items such as diaper creams, steroid ointments, hemorrhoid creams, and personal lubricants fall into this category. So why did these substances make the list? Well…it's certainly not for their yummy taste. Typically, topical products do not come in children resistant containers, they are in most homes, and are usually left in convenient reach for an adult — which often also means readily accessible for a small child. Fortunately, many of these products do not pose significant problems, when ingested in small amounts.
4. Foreign bodies
Since kids will put anything into their mouths, it's no surprise that foreign bodies are on this list. Some common calls include, getting into mom's purse and swallowing a penny, eating big brother's Legos, or consuming the silica gel pack from mom's new shoes. While most foreign bodies pose only a choking or blockage risk and require only an x-ray and monitoring, others such as button batteries and high powered magnets can be very dangerous if ingested.
3. Pain medications
It might not be a long stretch to say that nearly every American home has at least one type of pain medication in it. Whether it's the bottle of acetaminophen kept on hand in case little Johnny gets a fever, the bottle of ibuprofen tablets that Mom uses for her monthly headaches, or the bottle of unused Percocet that Dad kept from his last dental procedures. Availability and access to a substance is required for an exposure to take place.
This is why we always recommend keeping medications stored up tight and out of sight (and reach) of little ones. With unused prescription pain medication…get rid of them! Not only can young children be harmed by many prescription pain relievers, but unneeded pills hanging around in your home can serve as an opportunity for experimentation by curious adolescents. Your child's life is not worth the small convenience of not tossing them! Here is a guide from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on how to dispose of unused medicines.
2. Cleaning substances
Cleaning products are in every household and usually multiple agents for multiple purposes. Sometimes we forget kids learn by watching. Once they're interested and see you open that safety lock a few times, you've given them the key to a colorful fragrant world. Exposures to these can vary in toxicity from minor irritation all the way through chemical burns. These effects can be seen with various routes of exposure including dermal, oral and ocular to name a few. One particular class of products that we've been paying close attention to are laundry pods. Their candy like-appearance has made them a toddler magnet, and unfortunately, they have been noted to cause some serious effects— severe vomiting, choking, and breathing issues. Please be sure to keep this well out of reach of your little ones.
1. Cosmetics/personal care products
This brings us to the number one category: cosmetics and personal care items. Really? Make-up?! It's actually not surprising when you find out this general category includes: dental care products (toothpastes, denture creams), hair care products (hair coloring, perms, shampoos, conditioners), mouthwashes, nail products, and a miscellaneous category (body oils, deodorants, lipsticks/balms, sunscreens, soaps).
Exposures to these products happen often since many parents don't feel they're harmful until an exposure has occurred. They are commonly left on dressers, countertops and drawers that are easily reached by little ones. Hand sanitizers are also common exposures because…Let's face it, that hand sanitizer on Sissy's backpack smells so good, it must taste good too, right? Fortunately, it DOESN'T taste as good as it smells and kids are quickly deterred. The amount that kiddos tend to get in with these products is usually not enough to do harm. The effects that may be experienced are mild, such as irritation, vomiting and diarrhea.
In addition to keeping these potentially hazardous substances out of reach, here are some tips on how to talk to your child about poisoning. Also, please remember that nurses and pharmacists at The Poison Control Center are available 24/7 at 1-800-222-1222 to help caregivers assess the risk of toxicity.
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