Safety
Childhood Poisoning: What You Need to Know
Afraid your child may have been poisoned? Follow these important steps
You walk into the living room to find your toddler going through your purse, a bottle of prescription allergy medication in hand with the cap off. What do you do? Learn the important steps to follow if you think your child has been accidentally poisoned.
Fearing that your little one has been accidentally poisoned can raise the hairs on even the most laid-back parent's neck. Arming yourself with valuable information about treatment and prevention is the best way to protect your inquisitive youngster.
The Facts
Although the statistics can be frightening, every parent should know that:
- According to a 2003 presidential press release, over one million children under the age of six each year are victims of accidental poisoning. Eighty-five to 90 percent of these incidents occur in the home.
- While most childhood poisonings are not serious enough to require emergency medical treatment, you should always call your local Poison Control Center if you have any doubts about what your child was exposed to or ingested.
- Poisonings do not occur only by ingestion (swallowing something poisonous that gets into the digestive tract). Inhalation (breathing in) or coming into contact with a toxic material through the skin can be equally harmful.
What to Look For
If you didn't see your toddler eat, inhale, or touch something poisonous, but feel that she may have been poisoned, how can you tell?
- Be suspicious and look for these signs: excessive drooling, burns around the mouth, vomiting, sudden nausea, acting cranking or sleepy (more so than normal), or complaining of burning in the throat.
- Call for emergency help (911) if your child is unconscious, having difficulty breathing, convulsing, or showing other severe symptoms.
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