Parents Urged to Take Precautions

to Prevent Accidental Poisoning

    LEXINGTON, KY (March 1, 2002) -- Nearly 100 children are accidentally poisoned each day in Kentucky.  From household cleaners to prescription and over-the-counter drugs, accidental poisonings continue to be a serious cause of injury, even death to children -- most of whom are age 6 or younger.

     To combat this problem, faculty and students from the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy will continue their annual campaign for poison prevention during the month of March, said Robert J. Kuhn, Pharm.D., professor, UK College of Pharmacy.

    By taking a few precautions in your home, your garage and looking for dangers in the homes of family members, many of these accidental poisonings can be eliminated.

    Pharmacy students will present an interactive program for first- and second-grade students in Central Kentucky to teach them about hidden dangers and how to help if a friend or sibling is poisoned.

    “All medications -- including vitamins -- should have child-resistant caps and be kept in a cabinet that’s out of reach for children,” Kuhn said. “Cabinets or other places where medications are stored also should be locked.” 

    Medications should be kept in their original containers and never transferred to an empty tin or cup where they could be mistaken for something other than medication, he said.

    Parents are warned never to tell children medicine is “candy ” or tell them it “tastes like candy.”  Doing so may mislead a child into thinking that medicine can be eaten like candy, and that can lead to disaster.

Vitamins are another potential source of accidental poisoning to very young children since the tablets often are brightly colored and can resemble candy.

    “If a young child ingests too much iron, the result can be a trip to the emergency department,” Kuhn said. Another area of concern, is the ingestion of prescription medicines often found in the homes of relatives.  In one recent study it was found that one third of the accidental childhood prescription drug ingestions involve a grandparent’s medication.  Grandparents often have non-child-resistant prescription vials or loose pills out on tables, kitchen counters, or in purses.  Children swallow these medications when they are visiting grandparents or when the grandparents visit them.

    “To prevent this continuing tragedy parents and grandparents must keep medicines out of reach and out of sight of small children,” Kuhn said.  “Grandparents also are encouraged to use child-resistant vials if possible.

    In addition to poison-proofing your home, parents should keep on hand a bottle of activated charcoal (available at most pharmacies) to use in some cases of accidental poisoning.  Activated charcoal is a specially treated black powder that absorbs and binds poisons in the stomach, stopping their action at that site.  The substance is available for home use, pre-mixed with water or with a sugar solution.  To help get children to drink the solution when needed it also is referred to as “Batman Juice.”           

    However, Kuhn cautions that activated charcoal should not be administered unless a physician has been consulted.  “It’s appropriate in many cases of accidental poisoning, but not all,” he said.

    If you fear your child may have ingested a potentially toxic substance, call your physician, your local emergency department, or the Kentucky Regional Poison Control Center.  The KRPCC is open 24-hours every day and has a toll-free telephone number:  1-800-722-5725.