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What should I know about accidental poisoning?

All children, especially when they are very young, put things in their mouths as part of learning and exploring their world. This is one reason why hundreds of children every year are victims of accidental poisonings. Parents can prevent many of these accidents by identifying and locking away toxic materials. But in case your child finds them anyway, you should find out what to do in advance. In any case of poisoning dial 999.

Not all hazardous substances are obviously lethal. You can't hope to understand which is which, and what exactly is in everything. For children under six, for instance, iron pills are highly toxic, as are pesticides, petrol, and lighter fluids. Cosmetics and personal grooming supplies, cleaning solutions, and plants are also common culprits in non-fatal accidents. 

How can I keep my child safe?

Your best safety tactic is extreme caution. Assume all cleaning products, substances used in the workshop or garage, and beauty products are dangerous. Invest in a large medicine cabinet with a safety lock, and put it in a place which is not easily accessible to a child. Keep any household substance which you feel is dubious in this cupboard or locked away in the garage. Don't leave medicines in a room as a reminder to take them -- write yourself a note instead. Don't carry medicines in your pocket of handbag, and don't allow your child to play with empty medicine containers (he may just end up teaching himself how to open the child-proof lid!).

Here are some other things you can do:

• On holiday, and staying in other people's houses, remember to keep an eye on the whereabouts of medicines and other potentially dangerous substances -- not everyone's house is organised with crawling babies and curious toddlers in mind.

• Be methodical in your approach to making a room-by-room list of hazardous substances. Identify all the harmful items in your household, and make sure they're clearly labelled and out of reach.

• Don't forget the obvious. While there are an infinite number of toxic substances out there, just a handful of common items are responsible for most poison-related 999 calls. For children under the age of six, the leading dangers are:

• Household cleaning products. Assume that they are all dangerous. Your list should include drain cleaner, oven cleaner, toilet cleaner, dishwasher detergent, and rust remover, but there are so many that your best bet is to keep them all out of the way of your child. Even if he does not ingest them, he may spray himself with them, burning his eyes or his skin.

• Pills and medicines. Always assume that any medicine your child takes, be it prescribed for you or for him, can be dangerous. Even vitamin supplements are fatal in large doses. Keep them locked in the cupboard.

• Prescription drugs, especially antidepressants and time-release drugs, which have a cumulative effect. Even travel medicines are dangerous. Put them all in the locked medicine cupboard.

• Cosmetics. Lock them in the medicine cabinet. Even an every-day product such as hair remover can be dangerous if swallowed.

• Household plants, especially Philodendron. Many garden plants are poisonous, especially Rue, Privet and Laurel berries, Yew berries, and Laburnum seeds.

• Paint thinner and paint remover, petrol, paraffin, and metal polishes. Keep them locked out of your child's way in the garage, and don't let him into the workshop unsupervised.

• Pesticides. Lock them away.

• Adult substances. Tobacco can be lethal to a child. One cigarette could kill a one-year old, if swallowed, and a large swig of neat spirits could kill a toddler.

 A few final words of caution 

Remember:

• Read the labels on all household products before buying them, and try to use the least-toxic ones. Among the household products generally considered less hazardous are non-chlorine bleaches, vinegar, borax, beeswax, mineral oil, and compressed air drain openers (rather than corrosive liquids).

• Lock up all medicines and harmful substances. Secure all cupboards that contain poisons, even those you might assume to be out of range. Poison experts have seen plenty of toddlers who dragged a chair over to a kitchen counter, climbed onto the counter or even the refrigerator, and opened an eye-level cupboard.

• Don't rely on child-resistant containers. They aren't childproof. No bottle top can be made so fail-safe that a child can't find some way to get it off. It is not unusual for a 2-year-old, left alone for 30 minutes, to break down the best devices of the manufacturer.

• Keep medicines, pesticides, and even detergents in their original containers. Rewrite any labels that get smudged so that you know exactly what is in each bottle. Never put poisonous or toxic products in containers that were once used for food. Ambulance staff have heard far too many horror stories of a toxic liquid in an unmarked container being mistaken for apple juice.

• Never refer to any kind of medicine as sweets. Even if you are trying to get a reluctant toddler to take his cough syrup, don't treat it as something good to eat. Children learn by imitation, so take your own medicine when they are not watching.

In any case of poisoning: dial 999.