Improvements in child resistant containers.

Child resistant containers needed for liquid medications.

Child-resistant containers: are we kidding ourselves?

A 20-month-old child was accidentally poisoned after biting through the bottom of a medicine container and ingesting the tablets inside. Consequently a study was carried out to determine the force required to fracture 20 randomly selected 25 and 32 ml polystyrene containers to see whether this exceeded the bite force of a child's jaw. Tests were performed at displacement rates of 0.5 and 10 cm/...

Circumstances surrounding deaths from accidental poisoning 1974-80.

The deaths of 99 children under 5 years of age were studied through the coroners' records. Sixty nine deaths were caused by medicines--most of which were prescribed for mother, were recently dispensed, and currently in use. Household products accounted for 11 deaths, lead poisoning for 6, carbon monoxide for 5 and 'medical mishaps' for 8. Prevention lies in both education and more effective and...

ABC of child abuse. Poisoning.

The ABC of Clinical Genetics will continue next week. The seventh article in this series will appear on 10 June. Accidental poisoning is very common; nonaccidental poisoning is uncommon but more serious. Accidental poisoning commonly occurs in toddlers aged 2 to 4 who explore the world with their mouth and try out any medicines, tablets, or other liquids that they find. The parent finds the 3 y...

106: Caustics

As early as 1927, legislation in the United States governing the packaging of lyeand acidcontaining products mandated that warning labels be placed on these products. In response to the recognition that caustic exposures were more frequent in children, the Federal Hazardous Substances Act and Poison Prevention Packaging Act were passed in 1970; these acts mandated that all caustics with a conce...