Poisonous household substances

Posted on 18 September 2015

The minute little ones become mobile, monitoring what they put in their mouths becomes a full-time job for parents and caregivers. With a number of seemingly innocuous household substances potentially poisonous to your child, here’s what to look out for.

According to Dr Cindy Stephen, director
of the Poisons Information Centre which is part of the UCT Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, at least 40% of the calls they’ve received this year on their Poisons Information Helpline have been about the exposure of children to potentially harmful substances, most of which happen within the home.

Poisonous household substances
Lock up your cupboards – the following commonly used household substances can be poisonous to toddlers, says Dr Stephen:

• All medications are potentially harmful to children and should be stored safely out of reach
• Dishwasher tablets/powder
• Drain cleaners
• Hair dyes and straighteners
• Household bleach
• Laundry pods
• Most household cleaning agents are potentially poisonous to toddlers
• Moth balls
• Nail polish products: polish and removers
• Paraffin or turpentine/thinners
• Potassium permanganate,
an inorganic chemical used for several household and industrial purposes
• Rat poison

Who to call
If you’re concerned that your child may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, regardless of the amount, don’t hesitate. ‘Immediately call the Poisons Information Helpline of the Western Cape on 0861 555 777,’ Dr Stephen advises. ‘This service is a 24/7 helpline number for the whole country and is staffed by doctors, pharmacists and scientists who are poisons experts.’ These experts will also be able to advise you whether you need to rush to an emergency centre. ‘In many instances toddlers don’t ingest sufficient amounts of the poisonous substance to warrant a hospital visit, particularly if they can be carefully monitored at home,’ says Dr Stephen. However, if for any reason you’re unable to call the helpline and are sure your child has ingested poison, or you’re in any doubt at all, rather err on the side of caution and take your child to the nearest Mediclinic.

Do’s and Don’ts
Often parents panic in poison situations, but it’s essential to keep as clear a head as possible. Most importantly, keep the following first aid tips from Dr Stephen in mind:

• If the toddler has ingested something potentially poisonous, do not induce vomiting.
• If the toddler has been exposed to breathing in potentially poisonous fumes, remove the child to fresh
air.
• If a potentially harmful substance has spilt on a child, remove the child’s clothing and wash the skin (and eyes, if affected) with plenty of cold water for at least 10 minutes.
• Once you’ve taken initial steps, call 0861 555 777 while someone stays with the child.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The information provided in this article was correct at the time of publishing. At Mediclinic we endeavour to provide our patients and readers with accurate and reliable information, which is why we continually review and update our content. However, due to the dynamic nature of clinical information and medicine, some information may from time to time become outdated prior to revision.