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Area infant poisoning incident investigated
By Kassia Micek
WEST COUNTY – Law enforcement officials were investigating a poisoning incident Wednesday night that involved an infant who reportedly ingested detergent.
A female guardian brought the 2-week-old baby to Montgomery Fire Department Station 55, located at 18525 FM 1097 W. in Montgomery, shortly before 9 p.m., said Kevin Hoffart, MFD firefighter and emergency medical technician
“It was a 14-day-old male that ingested some sort of detergent,” said Hoffart, who said the baby and guardian were at a home in the area of the fire station. “He seemed very stable, nothing out of the ordinary.”
An ambulance transported the infant to Conroe Regional Medical Center, Hoffart said.
He did not know the cause of the poisoning but said the guardian brought the child to the station as a precaution.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office was called in to investigate, Hoffart said. Child Protective Services also was involved, according to the MCSO.
Unintentional poisoning is second only to motor-vehicle crashes as a leading cause of unintentional injury and death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, www.cdc.gov
In 2006, poison control centers reported about 2.4 million incidents where people were exposed to poison, according to a CDC press release on National Poison Control Prevention Week 2008. About 85 percent of the exposures were unintentional, and more than 92 percent occurred in the home.
A little more than half of the exposures reported to poison control centers affect children under the age of 6, according to the release. Exposures in this group commonly involve cosmetics and personal care products, cleaning substances, pain relievers, topical medications, foreign bodies, cough and cold preparations and plants.
All products should be kept in original containers with potential poisonous items kept out of the reach of children, according to the Texas Poison Control Network website, www.poisoncontrol.org. Food and household cleaners should never be stored together.
If items cannot be placed out of reach of children, safety latches should be installed on lower cabinets to keep children out, according to the Environmental Protection Agency website, www.epa.gov.
Kassia Micek can be reached at kmicek@hcnonline.com.
What to do
• Keep all products in original containers.
• Store sprays, fingernail solutions, hair care products, mouthwash, perfumes, cosmetics, powders, sachets, etc, out of reach of children.
• Never store food and household cleaners together.
• Install child safety latches on all drawers and cabinets containing harmful products.
• Remove household products such as detergents and drain cleaners from under the sink.
• Keep bleaches, soaps, cleaners, fabric softeners, bluing agents and sprays out of reach.
• Store pesticides, gasoline, turpentine, paints, paint products, car products and garage products out of reach and out of sight of children. Lock up these products.
• Never transfer products like bleach, gasoline, insecticides or other cleaning agents to containers such as a soft drink bottle, cup or bowl that would attract a child or pet.
• Keep alcoholic beverages out of reach of children.
• Empty ashtrays and keep them out of reach of children.
• Keep paint in good condition.
• Buy potentially poisonous products only when needed and in the amount required for the job.
• Always prepare and use products according to label directions.
Source: Texas Poison Control Network, www.poisoncontrol.org.
Who to contact
For help with a poisoning emergency or questions, call the poison control hotline 24 hours a day at (800) 222-1222.
A female guardian brought the 2-week-old baby to Montgomery Fire Department Station 55, located at 18525 FM 1097 W. in Montgomery, shortly before 9 p.m., said Kevin Hoffart, MFD firefighter and emergency medical technician
“It was a 14-day-old male that ingested some sort of detergent,” said Hoffart, who said the baby and guardian were at a home in the area of the fire station. “He seemed very stable, nothing out of the ordinary.”
An ambulance transported the infant to Conroe Regional Medical Center, Hoffart said.
He did not know the cause of the poisoning but said the guardian brought the child to the station as a precaution.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office was called in to investigate, Hoffart said. Child Protective Services also was involved, according to the MCSO.
Unintentional poisoning is second only to motor-vehicle crashes as a leading cause of unintentional injury and death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, www.cdc.gov
In 2006, poison control centers reported about 2.4 million incidents where people were exposed to poison, according to a CDC press release on National Poison Control Prevention Week 2008. About 85 percent of the exposures were unintentional, and more than 92 percent occurred in the home.
A little more than half of the exposures reported to poison control centers affect children under the age of 6, according to the release. Exposures in this group commonly involve cosmetics and personal care products, cleaning substances, pain relievers, topical medications, foreign bodies, cough and cold preparations and plants.
All products should be kept in original containers with potential poisonous items kept out of the reach of children, according to the Texas Poison Control Network website, www.poisoncontrol.org. Food and household cleaners should never be stored together.
If items cannot be placed out of reach of children, safety latches should be installed on lower cabinets to keep children out, according to the Environmental Protection Agency website, www.epa.gov.
Kassia Micek can be reached at kmicek@hcnonline.com.
What to do
• Keep all products in original containers.
• Store sprays, fingernail solutions, hair care products, mouthwash, perfumes, cosmetics, powders, sachets, etc, out of reach of children.
• Never store food and household cleaners together.
• Install child safety latches on all drawers and cabinets containing harmful products.
• Remove household products such as detergents and drain cleaners from under the sink.
• Keep bleaches, soaps, cleaners, fabric softeners, bluing agents and sprays out of reach.
• Store pesticides, gasoline, turpentine, paints, paint products, car products and garage products out of reach and out of sight of children. Lock up these products.
• Never transfer products like bleach, gasoline, insecticides or other cleaning agents to containers such as a soft drink bottle, cup or bowl that would attract a child or pet.
• Keep alcoholic beverages out of reach of children.
• Empty ashtrays and keep them out of reach of children.
• Keep paint in good condition.
• Buy potentially poisonous products only when needed and in the amount required for the job.
• Always prepare and use products according to label directions.
Source: Texas Poison Control Network, www.poisoncontrol.org.
Who to contact
For help with a poisoning emergency or questions, call the poison control hotline 24 hours a day at (800) 222-1222.
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mkv001 wrote on Aug 28, 2008 2:41 PM: