Room-by-room hazards
Poison specialist Katie Orr describes some hazardous chemicals typically found in the home.
KITCHEN
Disinfectants and all-purpose
■ cleaners are consistently the top exposures we see among kids under six years old. These contain mostly soaps, which can cause mild stomach symptoms, nausea, vomiting, and throat irritation. However, some may have more caustic effects than others, meaning they can cause burns in the mouth, throat, or stomach if swallowed.
■ Automatic dishwasher pods or tablets are a very common ingestion exposure in kids because they can look like candy. They have the potential to cause serious injury.
■ Oven cleaners and drain openers often contain very caustic chemicals with the potential to cause severe burns if swallowed.
BATHROOM
■ Medications can be very dangerous for kids, whether it’s the wrong one or too much of their own. This includes both prescription and over-the-counter medicines. Just one pill of some meds — opioids, anti-diabetic medications, heart or blood pressure medications, for example — can be seriously toxic for a child.
■ Personal care products — toothpaste or mouthwash, cosmetics and shampoo — are relatively benign exposures, but very common in kids under six years old. For the most part, small ingestions of these products don’t tend to cause significant toxicity or harm. However, it does depend on the ingredients.
Various kinds of toothpaste contain different concentrations of fluoride, which could be harmful to a child.
LAUNDRY ROOM
■ Detergent pods are more concentrated than regular detergent, meaning they have more potential to cause a burn. The poisoning risk is higher for larger or prolonged exposures, or if the pod bursts in the child’s mouth when it’s bitten into.
GARAGE
■ Hydrocarbons include things like gasoline, kerosene, lamp oil and paint thinners. The problem with these liquids is they’re easy to choke on. If they get into the lungs, it can become hard to breathe and can cause lung inflammation.
■ Windshield washer fluids and antifreeze solutions are extremely poisonous when swallowed, even in small amounts. They can cause blindness, kidney failure, and even death in severe cases.
And what makes these particularly dangerous is, due to their bright colours and sometimes sweet taste, they can easily be mistaken by kids for juice — especially if they’re not kept in their original containers.