Released March 27, 2009
MURFREESBORO, Ark. - Imagine not being able to read, but seeing liquids or pills that look like candy within your reach.
"While we can easily explain how children can be confused when they can’t read, you may be surprised to know that some products are even difficult for adults to distinguish," says Robbie McKinnon, Pike County extension agent with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
Earlier this month, an Arkansas daycare operator mistakenly served windshield fluid to children, mistaking it for a popular soft drink. One child was hospitalized.
Young children are explorers and when they cannot read, the world can be quite confusing, she says. "Children explore by putting things in their mouths," McKinnon said. "Young children will eat or drink almost anything."
This poses a risk of poisoning, and maybe death, if the child gets hold of hazardous substances, such as those items underneath a sink or in a medicine cabinet.
McKinnon says the dangers are numerous. A child could mistake a bright red tablet of a common decongestant with a cinnamon candy, a mothball with a marshmallow or a chocolate bar-shaped laxative for chocolate candy.
"If a child can’t read, do you think he or she will be able to discern the attractive color of blue between a sports drink and a window cleaner," asks McKinnon? "They both look yummy because of the bright colors."
She says the National Academy of Poison Control Centers reports that 250,000 children are poisoned annually with 92 percent of the incidents happening in the home, mostly to children under the age of six.
McKinnon says the many hazardous materials such as perfume and mouthwash are stored in homes, and it’s important to keep these items locked away from young, curious children’s reach.
How do you know if your child is poisoned?
"Aside from visual cues such as unexplained stains on clothes or mouth, or excessive drooling, other signs to watch out for include the child complaining of severe throat pain or having difficulty breathing," she says
Drastic behavior change such as a child being unusually sleepy or irritable are other clues. Nausea, vomiting, lips burning or stomach cramps with a fever are another possible sign. If the child has convulsions or is unconscious, something is definitely wrong.
"If you suspect that a child has swallowed poison, take the poison away immediately. DO NOT make the child vomit," McKinnon advises. Call 911 or the Arkansas Poison Hotline at 1-800-222-1222 immediately."
If poison gets on a child’s skin, remove the clothes he or she is wearing and rinse the skin with warm water. If poison gets into the eyes, flush the child’s eyes, holding the eyelid open for about 15 minutes.
If the child breathes in poisonous fumes, get them out of the room and into some fresh air right away.
Take care of your children by storing poison in a secure place and keep medicine out of the reach of children.
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http://www.uaex.edu/news/march2009/0327child_poisoning.htm
Contact: Lamar James, (501) 671-2187, ljames@uaex.edu
