Parents urged to protect children from poisons
Sep 29 2009 by Vicky Robson, The Journal
RECORD numbers of youngsters were accidentally poisoned last year, prompting calls for parents to child-proof their homes.
The warning comes after figures from the National Poisons Information Service (NPIS) revealed a sharp rise in the number of youngsters under 10 being accidentally poisoned by prescription medicines and household products.
The figures show calls to the NPIS, from doctors and nurses about childhood poisonings, rose by 11% in 2008-9, compared with the previous year.
In the North East, 583 cases were recorded from between April 2008 to March 2009 – most of which involved children four and under, were accidental and took place in the home. The highest number of cases recorded in the region was in the age group of one year olds – where 170 inquiries were made.
Regional enquiries were made to the service from medical staff working in Newcastle, Durham, Sunderland, Darlington and Teesside.
Director of the NPIS’s unit in Newcastle, Prof Simon Thomas last night said those figures were just the tip of the iceberg.
He said: “The telephone inquiries that are made underestimate the total numbers of episodes that are taking place.
“Health professionals may not ring us about all cases because they may not need further information to manage a particular case, if they are familiar with the substance and its possible effects, or they are able to find the information they need from our on-line information database TOXBASE.
“Thankfully, fatal poisoning in children remains rare.
“However, tragedies do occur from time to time and some of these could easily be avoided.
