Poisoning Alert for Parents
Accidental poisoning continues to be a major cause of death among young children.
Five babies died in Los Angeles County within a nine-month period last year after ingesting prenatal vitamins with iron, local officials say.
Their parents may have delayed in seeking medical treatment, not realizing that iron is acutely toxic to young children.
Another frequently unrecognized danger is mouthwashes. According to the American Assn. of Poison Control Centers, thousands of children ingest mouthwashes with high alcohol content each year.
One ounce of a high-alcohol mouthwash can cause seizures in a 22-pound child and five ounces can be fatal. Many mouthwashes--such as Listerine, Scope, Signal and Cepacol--have a high alcohol content.
Listerine has a 26.9% alcohol content, much more than the 10% to 14% usually found in wine.
Parents should keep mouthwash containing alcohol out of reach of a child or buy non-alcoholic mouthwash.
A movement is also under way calling for child-resistant packaging for all mouthwashes containing more than 5% alcohol.
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