Guard against poisoning

Prevent accidental poisonings – and know what to do if it happens to your baby.

INIA VISAGIE n South Africa, just under half of the calls to the Poisons Information Helpline relate to accidental poisoning in children under the age of 5 years. Although it is fortunately seldom fatal, you should still do everything you can to avoid poisoning. Accidental poisoning peaks at 2 years of age, according to Childsafe South Africa, which provided information for this article in conjunction with the Poisons Information Centre at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital. At 2 years, children are becoming more mobile, they like to explore, and copy older children and adults, but they do not yet recognise danger. And danger lurks in some unexpected places in our homes.

CHEMICAL POISONING

There are plenty of household products, such as bleach and cleaning detergents, that pose potential poison hazards to your baby. Children are often attracted to the colourful chemicals and sometimes think it’s juice they can drink. Colourless chemicals might look like water to a young child who knows no better. Such chemicals, once ingested, can cause serious damage to the digestive tract. Depending on the chemical, common symptoms of chemical poisoning may include vomiting (sometimes with blood), drowsiness, burning blisters on the lips or in the mouth as well as pain and burning in the chest.

According to Childsafe, paraffin is the single most common substance to cause poisoning in children. Many parents decant paraffin into smaller juice bottles, which children confuse with water, particularly in the hot summer months when they are thirsty. Just a small sip can cause harm to the lungs resulting in shortness of breath and breathing difficulty.

Pesticides are another danger. These can be swallowed, breathed in or absorbed through the skin. Toddlers often find rat pellets and granules that have been mixed with food and put out behind cupboards and on the floor. Poor ventilation after fumigation can also result in poisoning.

DRUG POISONING

To little children, pills look like sweets. They can cause symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal pain, tremors, sweating, delirium and unconsciousness. Depending on how much of the drug was consumed, poisoning could prove fatal. Childsafe says common medicines that children can find at home if they are not stored safely include flu remedies, pain medication, antihistamines, and tablets for heart and mental health conditions. These can cause serious poisoning in small children. Grandparents’ homes may be particularly risky to the under-5s if adult medicines are kept in unprotected places.

PLANT POISONING

In their eagerness to explore their surroundings, children have a tendency to even eat plants whether they be in and around the home or out in the garden. However, some leaves and berries are poisonous and could cause tummy cramps or vomiting when consumed, even in small amounts. If eaten in larger amounts, it may lead to seizures and even death.

ALCOHOL POISONING

A young child may be able to access alcohol easily in the home. If a child consumes even a small amount of alcohol, it can make them very sick. Your baby may suffer from vomiting, drowsiness and unconsciousness. The body may start to lose heat as the blood vessels begin to dilate, leaving the child feeling cold. A great danger is that the child could choke or inhale her own vomit while in an unconscious state.

GAS POISONING

Carbon monoxide poisoning, for example, can cause headaches and vomiting or render your child unconscious. Sources of carbon monoxide, a colourless and odourless gas, include fires and running cars. Other carbon monoxide sources include sewers, chlorine from pools, and fumes from household products such as glue, paint, cleaners or drugs. Poisoning can occur around these – in rooms with fireplaces or in garages, for instance – where the ventilation is poor.

WHAT FIRST AID

CAN I GIVE IMMEDIATELY?

Rinse the child’s mouth out with water, and offer a few sips of water to drink if necessary, says Childsafe. Forcing a child to drink a cup of milk or making them vomit is not advised, as it can do more harm than good. Remove all contaminated clothes. Exposed skin should be washed thoroughly, as soon as possible, with soap under a constant stream of water that drains away, so use a shower, not a bath. Eyes should be

washed with water for many minutes, with the eyelids held apart. If the child is unconscious, turn them onto their side and gently tilt the chin up (the recovery position). Call an ambulance.

If a poisonous gas or smoke has been breathed in, move the child to fresh air.

WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN

AT THE CLINIC OR HOSPITAL?

It’s a good idea to keep the poison substance your baby swallowed to show to the paramedics or doctor, so they can better administer treatment. They will also want to know how much your baby weighs, so be sure to be up to date with such information.

A child with poisoning is usually seen quickly at the clinic or hospital.

If the child has taken a lot of a particular poison, and is seen within an hour of drinking it, a mixture of charcoal and water may be given to the child to drink, which binds to the poison inside the stomach; this should only be done by a health worker. Most poisons have no antidote, so treatment is guided by symptoms (for example treating pain) and aimed at supporting the function of affected body organs (for example oxygen for difficulty in breathing, fluids if there’s significant diarrhoea and vomiting and so forth). Children mostly recover well from poisoning. ●