Media Release: 500,000 times each year a child gets into medicine or gets the wrong dose

67,000 Children treated in Emergency Rooms Each Year for Medicine Poisoning

500,000 times each year a child gets into medicine or gets the wrong dose

03-20-2013 (Dayton, OH) -

Today Safe Kids Worldwide® released a new research report that found kids are getting into medicine at an alarming rate. Every minute of every day, a poison control center receive a call about potential medicine poisoning for a child age five and under. And 67,000 times each year, or every eight minutes, a young child goes to the emergency room for medicine poisoning. This is a 30 percent increase over the past ten years.

In its report entitled An In-Depth Look at Keeping Young Children Safe Around Medicine, Safe Kids examines data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, information from poison control centers and findings from several focus groups among moms. The report reviews what is happening in households that leads to these disturbing numbers and offers parents simple things they can do to protect their children.

“Ask any parent, and they will tell you they store medicine where children can’t get them,” says Jessica Saunders, coordinator Safe Kids Greater Dayton and community relations manager at The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton.“But they are might not be thinking of pills stored in purses, vitamins left on counter tops or a diaper rash remedy near a changing table.”

The increase in exposure reflects the increase in medicines in the home. Most adults take medicine or vitamins on a regular basis; eight out of ten adults took at least one medicine or vitamin in the past week, and three out of ten adults took five or more. But they don’t always keep them up and away from kids. In 86 percent of emergency room visits for medicine poisoning, the child got into medicine belonging to an adult.

“Curious kids can get into trouble fast,” added Saunders. “It only takes a few seconds for children to get into medicine that could make them very sick. Take a look around your house to make sure all medicine is up and away and out of sight.”

Tips to Keep Kids Safe Around Medicine

Put medicine and vitamins up and away and out of sight. (In 67 percent of emergency room visits for medicine poisoning, the medicine was left within reach of the child, such as in a purse, on a counter, or under a sofa cushion.)
Even if you are tempted to keep it handy, put medicine out of reach after every use.
Look around your home for products you might not think about as medicine, like rubbing alcohol, eye drops or gummy vitamins, and store them out of the reach of children.
When you have guests in your home, offer to put purses, bags and coats where kids can’t get to them. (In 43 percent of emergency room visits for medicine poisoning, the child got into medicine belonging to a relative, such as an aunt, uncle or grandparent.)
Be alert to medicine in places your child visits. Take a look around to make sure there isn’t medicine within reach of your child.
Program the nationwide poison control center number (1-800-222-1222) into your phones.
Visit SafeKids.org for more tips on safe storage, safe dosing and safe disposal of medicine.

National Poison Prevention Week is March 17 – 23, 2013.

About Safe Kids Greater Dayton

Safe Kids Greater Dayton works to prevent unintentional childhood injury, the number one cause of death for children in the United States. Safe Kids Greater Dayton is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations dedicated to preventing unintentional injury. Safe Kids Greater Dayton was founded in 1994 and is led by The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton. For more information, visit safekids.org.

For more information, contact:
Jessica Saunders
Injury Prevention Coordinator
Phone: 937-641-3666
marketing@childrensdayton.org