Tiny Hands, Big Risks
Courtney Carter
/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2024

Tiny Hands, Big Risks

Protecting children from accidental poisonings

In 2022, U.S. Poison Centers responded to 2,064,875 cases of poisoning. That’s an average of one new case every 15 seconds. Of those, 40% (97,000) were for children under the age of five. Additionally, an estimated 68,600 children under the age of five were seen in the emergency department for accidental poisoning.

While the source of poisoning ranged from cleaning products and laundry detergent pods to fentanyl patches and cosmetics, there was one common theme: 93% of accidental poisonings occurred in the home

 

The Top 5 and Emerging Dangers to Kids

The top 5* most common exposures in children aged 5 years or less in 2022 were:

household cleaning substances (10.3%)

analgesics (9.54%)

cosmetics/personal care products (9.49%)

dietary supplements/herbals/homeopathic (6.65%)

foreign bodies/toys/miscellaneous (6.61%)

 

Recent studies also note an increasing number of accidental poisonings in children from:

*SOURCE: National Poison Data System® (NPDS) from America's Poison Centers®: 40th Annual Report

 

Prevention is key to keeping children safe. Family members and caregivers should work to identify hazards in the home that could be a poisoning danger and keep them out of a child’s sight and reach. 

Here’s where to start:

 Drugs or Medications 

  • Keep medications safely stored in a locked cabinet or box and out of the reach of children. 

  • Keep medicines in their original child-resistant containers and never in unsecured containers. 

  • Properly discard unfinished or unused medicines. 

  • If a family member is taking a medication like Suboxone for opioid use disorder, you should keep a dose of Narcan (Naloxone) in the home in case of accidental ingestion

  • Beware of vitamins, medications, and other substances that are in a gummy form, as they are often mistaken for a candy.

Laundry Packets or Pods 

  • Store laundry packets in their original containers and out of a child’s sight and reach. 

  • Do not let children handle laundry detergent packets. 

Household Cleaning Supplies 

  • Keep chemicals and cleaning supplies safely stored in a locked cabinet or box and out of the reach of children. 

  • Keep household chemicals in their original child-resistant containers. 

Button Cell or Coin Batteries 

  • Keep products with accessible batteries away from children if the battery compartments do not have a screw closure or if the compartment is damaged.  

  • Check the toys in your home to make sure battery compartments are secured. 

  • Do not allow children to play with or be in contact with button cell or coin batteries. 

  • Click here to learn more about the dangers of button and coin batteries.

 

If you think your child has been exposed to a poison, remain calm and:

Call 911 right away if they:

Are having difficulty breathing OR

Have collapsed or are losing consciousness OR

Are having a seizure

If they are conscious and breathing easily:

Call a Poison Control Center at 800-222-1222.

Be prepared to provide the following information when you call:

  • The specific substance consumed. It’s helpful to refer to the label for this information

  • The age and weight of person exposed and any existing health conditions they may have

  • Any first aid provided

  • If the patient has vomited

  • How far you are from the nearest hospital

 

For online assistance or more information on accidental poisonings, visit Poison.org.

 

Moriah Krason, MD, FAAP is a general pediatrician at SVMC Pediatrics in Bennington.

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How to Become a Mask Wearer

Long before COVID-19, online chat groups for people with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) were filled with posts about how uncomfortable it is to wear a mask in public: not physically uncomfortable, a fact that was barely mentioned, but psychologically uncomfortable. For people with this condition or the lung transplant used to cure it, catching a cold or the flu could be deadly. They need to wear masks in public to help protect themselves from getting ill.

The participants discussed how awkward it is riding the bus in a mask, going to the grocery store in a mask, or boarding a plane while wearing one. They were mostly self-conscious that others would think they were ill or weak. Many would rather suffer the risk of getting fatally sick than put a mask on in a department store.

Now, we've all been directed to wear masks in public. Both Bennington and Wilmington's Select Boards have passed local mandates requiring masks in public places. This—along with distancing and handwashing—are crucial parts of returning to a more normal way of life. Suddenly, we are all feeling the psychological discomfort PF patients have felt for many years.

People usually have an interest in blending in. And, just like doing anything out of the ordinary, wearing a mask for the first time definitely feels like putting yourself out there. If we want to return to a somewhat normal way of life, masks are crucially important, along with frequent, thorough handwashing and keeping a distance from others.

Here are a few tips for making the leap from being someone nervous about wearing a mask to being a person who wears one regularly.

Do it for others. We know that people can spread COVID-19 as many as a few days before they get sick. Even if you feel fine, you could have COVID-19 right now without knowing it. At the same time, masks are far better at keeping sick people from spreading germs than they are at keeping people from getting sick. So wearing a mask isn't a sign of weakness; it's a sign of altruism. It's like saying, "I am not certain that I am not sick, so I want to pay those around me the consideration of limiting the likelihood I will infect them." Think of it as a badge of kindness.

Get a mask that fits. We know that masks are not completely comfortable physically. Getting the right fit makes a big difference in their "wearability." Cloth masks are readily available online and from local groups. The Green Mountain Mask Makers have excellent information and resources. If you can, purchase a few types in a few sizes to see which you like best. Buy enough of that type to allow washing between trips out in public.

Get a mask that you like. Once you have found a mask source and as long as you have a choice, pick one that you like. You can choose colors that match your wardrobe or that represent your interests, like camouflage. There are even masks that look like fashionable scarves when they hang around your neck. The sooner we start thinking of masks as part of our outfits, as essential and unremarkable as shoes or a belt, the healthier we will all be.

Try to quit caring about what others think. This one is hard. But one wise PF patient wrote, "I just don't give a darn!" Essentially, he shared that if people want to judge him for wearing a mask, so be it. Their opinions don't have a single thing to do with him. Many in the chat group applauded his confidence and vowed to adopt his attitude.

If we all do our best, soon the cultural scale will tip. Wearing a mask or not wearing one will cease to be a political statement. It will be normal. And thankfully, if wearing a mask in public, handwashing and sanitizing, and keeping our distance are all normal, going out into public again can be safe and normal too.

Donna Barron, RN, is the infection preventionist at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.

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