Special to the News: Danger to Children Lurks Throughout Home

Dear Dr. Meinig:

We had the scare of our lives recently when our three-year-old got into a Tylenol bottle. Fortunately, she had taken only a few when we caught her with them.

With so many things around today that can be poisonous to young children, it would be helpful if you wrote something about this subject.

-H.S.

 

Dear H.S.:

A rather common occurrence for children is to get into vitamin and other pill bottles.

Having watched their parents take pills, it isn’t surprising to see them take handfuls of any kind they come across.

High doses of vitamins, taken only once, for the most part would not be dangerous, but just a few can cause serious problems.

Iron found in many vitamin preparations can be very dangerous. Deaths have occurred to a few children who swallowed capsules or tablets containing iron.

Accidents are the leading cause of death of children.

Swallowing harmful substances is the third most common type of accident that happens to youngsters. Most victims of poisoning are children under 3 years of age.

The list of household products that can be of danger is endless.

Some that you are not apt to think of as being harmful are skin lotions, ointments, eye medications, antiseptics, rubbing alcohol, and liniments.

Others that we readily recognize can cause serious trouble are aspirin, Tylenol, other pain medications, laxatives, sedatives, tranquilizers, antibiotics, antihistamines, hormone preparations, weight loss pills and vaporizers.

As you all know too well, toddlers and crawlers get into the darndest places. Somehow, they conquer with ease the areas parents feel are safe.

Everything must be kept out of reach, including such common under-the-sink items as dishwasher soap, furniture polish, dry cleaning fluid, metal polish, shoe polish, wax, lye, bleach, disinfectants, etc. We rarely think of any of these as being dangerous but all are toxic if ingested.

Many household products also contribute fumes that pollute indoor air and continually challenge our immune systems.

More and more children and adults today face allergy reactions because of the overload of these so-called advances to our way of life.

You have all read about small children getting into mother’s cosmetics, nail polishes and removers, perfume, dad’s after-shave lotion, deodorants, and the myriad of hair preparations.

Why youngsters can turn down the most tasty foods but at the same time consume some of these awful tasting products is one of life’s great wonders.

Poison Proofing Your Home

• The vast majority of harmful products would be better kept in a special locked cabinet in the garage.
• Don’t use dinnerware to hold any dangerous products, such as kerosene in a dinner glass.
• A real no-no is never tell a child that a medicine you are giving him is candy or he might assume one of your medications is a taste treat.
• Do not store dangerous products in the same cabinet or on the same shelf as food.
• Don’t give a child or yourself any oral preparations while in the dark. It may not be the bottle you think it is but instead might be one that is dangerous.

If somehow your child has managed to get into trouble, immediately phone the Poison Control Center.

The number for those in Santa Barbara, Ventura and the Los Angeles areas is 1(800) 777-6476. Stick this number and name on your phone along with that of your doctor.

Should you forget the number or be in someone else’s home, call 911 and ask for the Poison Control Center.

They will have some questions. Keep your responses brief and to the point.

These are the kind of emergencies in which speed of accomplishment is made by slow deliberate action, accompanied by loving words of encouragement.