A recent review of accidental poisonings among American kids under the age of 5 found that the rate of such poisonings has increased by 22 % from 2001 to 2008, the last year for which adequate data is available. This is a startlingly large increase given the fact that the number of kids in that age group has only increased by about 8% over the same time span.
Why have such poisonings risen so sharply?
Lots of reasons, but one stands out: there are just so many more medications out there and so many more of us are using at least one drug, and often, of course, several at a time.
Accidental use of drugs is a completely preventable problem, so if you have any kids in the house, or if any are ever likely to visit, be sure to put all your medications in a safe place that is very hard, if not impossible, for a young person to access.
And as a new grandparent myself, I make this special plea to other grandparents because that’s one special situation – a grandchild visiting a grandparent – where extra caution is often needed.
