Children and Poison

Children are a higher risk of poisoning due to their lack of knowledge and their love to discover things around them .Children depend on parents and caregivers to protect them from poisons.

Who is most at risk?

Children under age 6 years old are most likely to be poisoned, especially those between the 1st & 2nd year of their life.

Why do children get poisoned?

• Children do not know what poison is and may not understand what “danger,” “poison,” “no,” or any other warning means.
• Children are left alone with the poison. The parent or caregiver may be using a poisonous product and become distracted leaving the child alone with the poisonous product.
• Children can get to the poisonous product. Poisonous products are often placed where children can see them and reach them.
• Children can open the container.Child-resistant packaging does not guarantee that children cannot open the container. Used correctly, child-resistant packaging only makes it more difficult for a child to open a container

What are common substances that children are poisoned by?

• Medications: Prescription, over-the-counter, herbal, and illegal drugs. Pain relievers, cold and cough medicines, vitamins that contain iron, and antibiotics are the most common.
• Personal Care Products: Nail polish and nail polish remover, cologne, aftershave, deodorant, mouthwash, hydrogen peroxide, make-up, soap, contact lens solutions, lotions, and diaper rash products.
• Household Chemicals: Bleaches, detergents, furniture polish, cleansers, drain and toilet bowl cleaners, antifreeze, gasoline, paints and varnishes.
• Plants: Poisonous household and outdoor plants and plant food.
• Fertilizers

Poison Prevention for children
Medicine

• Use child-resistant caps correctly, but remember child-resistant does not mean child-proof.
• Keep medicines in their original, labeled, child-resistant containers.
• Follow label instructions and warnings.
• Call medicine “medicine” not “candy.” Children like to eat candy.
• Do not take medicines in front of children because children imitate adults.
• Personal Care and Household Products
• Store products in their original, labeled containers.
• Read labels and follow directions carefully.
• Store poisonous products away from food so there is no confusion.
• Do not mix household products together.
• Plants and Mushrooms
• Know the names of your house and yard plants, and know which ones are poisonous.
• Keep all plants, bulbs, and seeds where children cannot reach them.
• Teach children not to eat berries, seeds, plant food, mushrooms or any part of a plant.
• Remove mushrooms in your yard and throw them away.
• All mushrooms should be considered poisonous unless they have been correctly identified by an expert.
• General
• Supervise children and never leave a child alone with a poisonous product.
• Install safety latches on cabinets and drawers.
• Teach small children to “ask an adult first” before putting anything into their mouths.
• Share this information with grandparents, family, friends, caregivers and babysitters.
• Place the Poison Unit telephone number, 1-800-500-000, on or near your phone so it is easy to find in an emergency.

Children face higher risks from pesticide poisoning
Better protection and awareness raising needed,

Children face higher risks from pesticides than adults and need greater protection against these chemicals, particularly in developing countries, according to a joint report published by FAO, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Pesticide poisoning is a serious health problem that disproportionately affects infants and children, the UN report, called "Child Pesticide Poisoning: Information for Advocacy and Action", said.

The number of children affected is unknown but, based on the experience of many countries, likely to be large. The report highlights both the magnitude of the problem and the need to put more efforts into better reaching and helping the rural, disadvantaged populations who are most affected by pesticide poisoning.

Pesticide poisoning

• It has been reported that an estimated one million to five million cases of pesticide poisonings occur every year, resulting in several thousands of fatalities, including children, the report said.
• "Most of the poisonings take place in rural areas of developing countries, where safeguards typically are inadequate or lacking altogether. Although developing countries use 25 percent of the world's production of pesticides, they experience 99 percent of the deaths due to pesticide poisoning," the report said.
• Children face a higher risk from pesticides because they may be more susceptible than adults or more greatly exposed than adults, the report said. Children's behaviour, playing and ignorance of risks, result in greater potential for exposure. Malnutrition and dehydration increase their sensitivity to pesticides. Currently around 200 million children are suffering from malnutrition.
• Pesticide poisoning can occur via breathing, drinking or eating, or through the skin or mucous membranes. The symptoms resulting from acute poisoning may range from fatigue, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, to respiratory and neurological effects that may be life-threatening. Chronic, and even low-level exposure to pesticides has been linked to cancer, birth defects, and damage the nervous and the functioning of the endocrine system.

Sources of exposure

• Diet can be a major source of exposure for children. As they grow, children drink more water and eat more food, per body weight, than do adults. Water and food containing pesticide residues may therefore be a source of chronic, low-level or high-level pesticide exposure.
• Growing food on or near contaminated soils, using contaminated water on crops or for washing puts people - and children - at particular risk.
• When a mother to be is exposed to pesticides, the child becomes exposed as well, before birth, while still in the womb. Small children can also come into contact with persistent and bio-accumulative pesticides through breast feeding. Protecting pregnant women and lactating mothers from exposure to toxic contaminants is therefore crucial.
• Pesticides used in the field or in the household are often stored improperly in or around farmers' homes where family members can easily access them. These toxic substances may contaminate food or water and cause air pollution. In some instances, the empty pesticide containers are reused to store water and food.
• Children tend to explore their immediate environment, play close to the ground and put things in their mouths. As a consequence, they may receive significant doses of pesticides from soils, dusts and contaminated objects that can be found in rural areas, homes or gardens.

Poverty

• Poverty can put children in potentially high-risk situations. In poor families, children often help out on family farms where pesticides are used. Pesticide users, including teenagers, may lack access to protective equipment such as gloves and masks, and receive no training. As a result, pesticides are often being used by young workers carelessly, and without protection.
• In many developing countries, the marketing and advertisement of pesticides is often uncontrolled or illicit. Misbranded or unlabelled formulations, including ready-made solutions in soft drink bottles and other unlabelled liquid containers, are sold at open stands. Low retail prices promote pesticide use but weak legislation and inadequate law enforcement fail to control risks.

Minimizing the risk
To reduce pesticide poisoning, FAO, UNEP and WHO urge:

• to reduce and eliminate possible sources of pesticide exposures to children at home and at work;
• to keep pesticides out of children's reach and store them securely in containers that are properly labeled and use child-proof tops;
• to reduce the use of agricultural pesticides through Integrated Pest Management (IPM):
• to train health care providers on the recognition and management of pesticide poisoning
• to provide training for people on how to use pesticides judiciously and how to prevent exposure;
• to run information and education campaigns via TV and radio programmes;
• to reduce the risks associated with the use of pesticides through a comprehensive life-cycle approach, i.e. addressing all aspects of pesticide management from manufacturing until use or disposal following the FAO International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides.

Two key international conventions are aiming at reducing the adverse health and environmental aspects of pesticides: The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), created to reduce and eliminate 12 POPs of which nine are pesticides, and The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade. The Rotterdam Convention facilitates information exchange on a broad range of potentially hazardous chemicals and gives importing countries the power to decide whether or not they want to receive future imports of certain chemicals.

Seniors and Poison

What do seniors get poisoned by most often?
Medicines are the most common substances seniors get poisoned by.

Why do seniors get poisoned?

• Seniors taking many medicines may get confused and take them incorrectly.
• Seniors may mistake one medicine for another or not understand the instructions.
• Seniors may forget that they took their medicine and take it again.
• Seniors may mix prescription medicines with over-the-counter medicines or herbal preparations that could be harmful when taken together.
• As the body grows older, the kidneys and liver function less effectively. The kidneys and liver are responsible for eliminating most drugs from the body. As a result, the drugs leave the body more slowly.
• Poisoning may be complicated by the presence of pre-existing medical problems like heart or lung disease, arthritis, hypertension, and hearing or visual difficulties.

Poison Prevention for Seniors
Ask your doctor or pharmacist the following questions and write down the answers:

• What are the names of all your medications?
• What is the specific condition each medicine is treating?
• How often do you need to take your medicine?
• What time(s) do you need to take your medicine?
• How should you take your medicine?
• What are possible side effects you might experience?
• If you experience any side effects, what do you need do?

Medicine

• Tell your doctor and pharmacist about your medical history, all the medicines you are taking including prescription, over-the-counter and herbal preparations, and about any allergies or sensitivity you may have to any medicines.
• Try to get all of your medicines from the same pharmacy so the pharmacist can check for drug interactions and can help answer questions about side effects.
• Take your medicines exactly as directed.
• Do not take someone else’s medicine.
• Store medicines in their original, labeled containers.
• Turn the lights on at night when taking medicine.
• Have your medicine reviewed by your doctor once a year.
• Get rid of any medicines that have expired or that you do not use.

Home

• Store household products in their original, labeled containers. Do not store chemicals in empty food or drink containers.
• Read labels and follow directions carefully.
• Do not mix household products together.
• Store poisonous products away from food so there is no confusion.
• Install carbon monoxide detectors near bedrooms and on each floor of your home.
• Place the Poison Unit telephone number, 1-800-500-000, on or near your phone so it is easy to find in an emergency.

Protect your grandchildren from potential poisoning by:

• Keeping all medicine, personal care products and household products locked up where children cannot see them or reach them.
• Call medicine “medicine” not "candy".  Children like to eat candy.
• Do not take medicine in front of children because children like to imitate adults.
• Supervise children and never leave a child alone with a poisonous product.
• Install safety latches on cabinets and drawers.