Mostly they just want to find out what the interesting green juice tastes like that mom always uses to wash the dishes. Or they want to taste the colorful candies that Grandma swallows in the morning and evening. There are no limits to young children’s curiosity, and their own household is still the most dangerous place in terms of poisoning.
Cleaning agents as a particular danger
Industry has responded to this in some cases: Some cleaning agents now have bitter substances added to them that taste so bad that children immediately spit them out. Bspecially attractive to young children are cleaning agents such as.
- Dishwashing detergent,
- Sanitary cleaner or
- All-purpose cleaner.
The flashy bottles with attractive colored liquids can be found in every household and are often far too easily accessible to children. And it is not always quite easy to see that the child has poisoned himself and especially with what.
Recognizing poisoning
Alarm bells should ring for parents if the child tells of a bad taste experience or shows an empty package. An outward indication of poisoning may be traces of the toxic substance on the mouth, face and hands, or severely reddened mucous membranes of the eyes and lips. In the case of certain substances such as alcohol, solvents, cosmetics or tobacco, a strong mouth odor can be a clue. Tobacco causes a brownish discoloration of saliva on top of that. Other signs of intoxication:
- Sudden change in the child’s behavior, for example, fatigue, agitation, trembling, unsteadiness when walking.
- Salivation
- Crampy abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea.
- Headache, dizziness
- Clouding of consciousness, apathy, unconsciousness.
In the worst case, there is a threat of respiratory failure to respiratory arrest, shock and cardiovascular failure.
What to do in case of poisoning?
- Are there still remnants of what you ingested in the child’s mouth? Try to wipe them out of the mouth with a finger.
- If the poison is known and the child does not show signs of poisoning: Call poison control or pediatrician.
- Otherwise: call for medical help via 112 or seek immediate ambulance assistance. Keep all (suspected) remains of the ingested or vomit and take everything with you to the doctor.
- Do not give the child anything to eat or drink. Especially milk is dangerous. Because contrary to popular belief, it is not useful in case of poisoning, but causes the poison to be absorbed into the blood more quickly.
- Do not let child vomit specifically.
- Observe breathing and circulation.
- Be careful when ingesting highly corrosive substances! They are contained mainly in dishwasher, toilet and household cleaners.
The rule here is: let the child drink a lot to dilute the toxic substance (water, tea, but no carbonated drinks, no milk). The child must not vomit in any case (risk of chemical burns of the esophagus and mouth!).
How to prevent poisoning?
- First-aid medications: Include activated charcoal and an antifoam as first-aid medications in your household pharmacy in case of poisoning; you should also find the number of the poison control center here. Get advice on medications from your pediatrician or pharmacist.
- Medications (including those to be taken several times a day) belong in a lockable medicine cabinet. Cleaning, dishwashing and laundry detergents should also be kept locked.
- When using chemicals, make sure they have childproof caps. Never decant them into food packaging.
- Remember that anything you throw away can be found by your child in the trash can or wastebasket.
- Also childproof your handbag: if it is rummaged through by the child, he should not be able to find perfume, cigarettes or medicines.
- Tobacco: Cigarette butts and packs in any case not leave lying around open. Even the smallest remnants of tobacco can cause poisoning in the child.
- Alcohol: always store alcohol in lockable cabinets or cabinets that are out of reach of the child. Even small amounts of alcohol are very dangerous for young children.
- Poisonous plants: Refrain from using poisonous plants in the garden or on the balcony, for example: Arnica, arum , henbane, raw green beans, christenthorn, dieffenbachia, yew, aconite, foxglove, laburnum, cacti (with poisonous thorns), lupine, lily of the valley, daffodil, oleander, castor bean, poppy, hemlock, datura, deadly nightshade, poinsettia, meadow hogweed, fence beet, green and unripe potatoes, green, unripe tomatoes.
- Cosmetics such as nail polish and remover, perfume, hair strengthener, body spray, skin care products are often kept easily accessible to children. Even inhaling the gases can cause symptoms of poisoning.
- Mini batteries: They can be swallowed by children. Highly toxic chemicals (for example, mercury oxide) can be released.
If the child regularly stays in other households (grandparents, childminder, etc.), the precautions also apply there. Brochure: Attention! Poisonous! Poisoning accidents in children Worth knowing about all the “common” types of poisoning in children (cleaning products, alcohol, nicotine, cosmetics, poisonous plants, etc.). The brochure can be downloaded free of charge from the website das-sichere-haus.de or ordered in paper form.
