Parents of young children may at times feel like they need to have eyes in the back of their heads! Too often child-proofing is not enough of a deterrent for the curious and resourceful child. Frequently, items consumed or used by adults are accidentally left within the range of a toddling toddler. Accidental ingestion of dangerous or toxic items by young children is totally preventable. Parents be on guard!
Below is a list of
the agents most
commonly consumed by children less than six years of age
from 1995 - 1998:
| Agents Ingested | Number of Children |
| Cosmetics and personal care products | 568,856 |
| Cleaning products | 500,791 |
| Analgesics | 354,722 |
| Plants | 322,991 |
| Cough and cold preparations | 278,460 |
| Foreign bodies | 256,263 |
| Topical agents | 234,997 |
| Pesticides | 164,277 |
| Vitamins | 151,871 |
| Hydorcarbons | 106,269 |
Reference
*Litovitz TL, Klein-Schwartz W, Caravati EM, Youniss J, Crouch B, Lee S, 1998 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers Toxic Exposure Surveillance System, Am J Emergy Med 1999: 17:435-87
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