90 per cent of poisonings happen at home

ACCIDENTAL poisoning is almost every parent’s nightmare. 

A major South African hospital and medical service provider has warned that accidental poisoning can strike at any time due to many people being unaware of how common it can be.

“Approximately 90 per cent of accidental poisonings worldwide occur within the home environment,” said Rene Grobler, Netcare’s national quality and systems manager for trauma and emergency.

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He said 44 per cent of accidental poisonings involved children aged one year and younger. 

“At this age babies start crawling around or using walking rings and it is surprising how quickly they can reach into unsecured cupboards or a traveller’s suitcase to access cleaning products, medicines, garden products such as pesticides, weed killers and fertiliser, or any number of potentially toxic substances,” Grobler explained.

Toddlers aged two to three years were involved in 27 per cent of accidental poisonings recorded, while another 13 per cent were aged three and four.

Grobler further advised parents not to rely on so-called child-proof packaging.

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“It has been recorded that some types of child-resistant packaging can be opened more easily when children bite on them, and this may occur if the child breaks through the packaging with their teeth or gums and is able to access the contents,” she said.

“It is safer to adopt the philosophy that there is no such thing as ‘child-proof’ or ‘child-safe’ packaging,” she advised.

Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting