Minggu, 09 November 2008

PREVENTING CHILDHOOD POISONINGS

Each year, children are accidentally poisoned by medicines, polishes, insecticides, drain cleaners, bleaches, household chemicals, and garage products. It is the responsibility of adults to make sure that children are not exposed to potentially toxic substances.

Here are some suggestions for parents:

Insist on packages with safety closures and learn how to use them properly.
Keep household cleaning supplies, medicines, garage products, and insecticides out of the reach and sight of your child. Lock them up whenever possible.
Never store food and cleaning products together. Store medicine and chemicals in original containers and never in food or beverage containers.
Avoid taking medicine in your child's presence. Children love to imitate. Never suggest that medicine is candy—especially aspirin and children's vitamins.
Read the label on all products and heed warnings and cautions. Never use medicine from an unlabeled or unreadable container. Never pour medicine in a darkened area where the label cannot be seen clearly.
If you are interrupted while using a product, take it with you—it takes only a few seconds for your child to get into it.
Know what your child can do physically. For example, if you have a crawling infant, keep household products stored above floor level, not beneath the kitchen sink.
Keep the phone numbers of your doctor, poison center, hospital, police department, and emergency medical system (EMS) near the phone.

CHAPTER REFERENCES
Baselt RC, Cravey RH: Disposition of Toxic Drugs and Chemicals in Man, 4th ed. Year Book, 1995.
Bresinsky A, Besl H: A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Fungi: A Handbook for Pharmacists, Doctors, and Biologists. Wolfe, 1990.
Clayton GD, Clayton FE: Patty's Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology, Vol 2, 4th ed. Wiley-Interscience, 1993.
Dart RC et al: The 5 Minute Toxicology Consult. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000.
Finkel AJ (editor): Hamilton & Hardy's Industrial Toxicology, 4th ed. Publishing Sciences Group, 1983.
Goldfrank LR et al: Goldfrank's Toxicologic Emergencies, 6th ed. Appleton & Lange, 1998.
Grant WM: Toxicology of the Eye, 4th ed. Thomas, 1993.
Haddad LM, Shannon MW, Winchester JF: Clinical Management of Poisoning and Drug Overdose, 3rd ed. Saunders, 1998.
Koren G: Maternal-Fetal Toxicology: A Clinician's Guide, 2nd ed. Dekker, 1994.
Lampe KF, McCann MA: AMA Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants. American Medical Association, 1985.
Olson KR (editor): Poisoning and Drug Overdose, 3rd ed. Appleton & Lange, 1999.
Rumack BH, Spoerke DG, Smolinske SC (editors): POISINDEX Information System. Micromedex, Inc., Denver, CO. [Published quarterly.]

(By textbook of
Current Pediatric Diagnosis & Treatment 16th Ed: William W. Hay Jr, et al By McGraw-Hill Education - Europe 2002)