Accidental Poisonings in Preschoolers in British Columbia

Abstract

PROBLEM Accidental poisonings continue to be prevalent among children 6 months to 4 years in British Columbia, despite child-proof containers, prenatal classes, and information available to consumers from poison control centres and other sources. Of a total of 191,205 children between the ages of 0 and 4 years, 3,888 were accidentally poisoned in 1981, an increase over each of the previous 6 years (Province of British Columbia, 1975-1981). Primary preventive measures in operation at present may be inadequate. Implementation of a plan of prevention is of utmost importance for the reduction of the incidence of accidental poisonings in the 0-4 year old category.