Poisonings occur mainly the first years of life while the child begins to get up, grab and put in his mouth products that he accesses alone and which are not intended for him.
Laundry detergents, medications and carbon monoxide cause the most frequent and serious poisonings
Among the cleaning and maintenance productslaundry are the main causes of poisoning, in particular liquid laundry detergent podsdespite a halving of these poisonings thanks to mandatory European measures taken from 2015. These products can cause serious health effects: respiratory distress in the event of misdirection or serious corneal damage in the event of ocular projection.
Although less common, pipe unblocking products cause serious poisoning in the event of accidental ingestion, due to corrosive damage to the esophagus and stomach.
Medication are responsible for frequent and serious poisoning in children under six years of age. In question, ibuprofen, aspirin and paracetamol, antidepressants, anxiolytics but also drugs for the cardiovascular system. Children under the age of one are most often victims of therapeutic error by those around them or by caregivers.
At home, the youngest are particularly vulnerable to carbon dioxide poisoning. carbon monoxide. This colorless and odorless toxic gas can be produced when heating appliances are misused. It is the leading cause of intensive care hospitalization for children under one year old.
Other causes of serious poisoning: cannabis and button batteries
Between 2014 and 2020, poisoning by ingestion of cannabis increased in frequency, particularly among children under one year old, but also in severity: the percentage of admission to intensive care following a visit to the emergency room doubled among children. less than six years (5% to 11%).
Another Source of serious poisoning, button batteries are among the small objects that are particularly dangerous if ingested: they cause potentially fatal lesions of the esophagus.
How to prevent these accidents?
As an accident happens quickly, a few actions are essential to prevent these situations:
- put out of reach of the child small objects or products, including when he is not at home.
- avoid deconditioning : when a household product is transferred into a bottle of water, soda or fruit juice, children are particularly exposed to accidental ingestion
- put away all the medications : those prescribed for children, such as those for the whole family or even those for pets,
- ensure the proper use of heating appliances at risk of carbon monoxide emissions
A collaborative assessment covering the period 2014-2020
These results come from the assessment of accidental poisonings affecting children under 15 years old carried out by ANSES from the beginning of 2014 to the end of 2020. To do this, the Agency relied on data from the Poison Control Centers and other health databases, in collaboration with Public Health France and emergency specialists and toxicologists from Poison Control Centers:
- Emergency visits from the Organization of Coordinated Emergency Surveillance;
- Hospitalizations resulting from the Information Systems Medicalization Program;
- Mortality data from the Center for Epidemiology on medical causes of death.
Learn more
Source: news published on 04/24/2024 on the ANSES website
