Survey of Products Most Frequently Named in Ingestion Accidents in 1965

Abstract

Products in the 10 categories of medicines and household goods (out of 80 categories listed by the National Clearinghouse for Poison Control Centers) which were most frequently involved in 1965 ingestation accidents among children under 5 years of age are surveyed. The 10 categories which together accounted for approximately half the cases in this age group were: 1)aspirin (accounting for 25.8% of all reports to the Clearinghouse) 2) soaps detergents and cleaners (4.2%) 3) bleach (3.6%) 4) vitamins and minerals (3.5%) 5) insecticides excluding mothballs (3.2%) 6) plants (2.4%) 7) polishes and waxes (2.2%) 8) hormones (2.1%) 9) tranquilizers (2.0%) and 10) other analgesics and antipyretics (1.9%). Cases in each category are reviewed in terms of the number of trade names involved (20256 total) the number of cases with trade name identified for each category with hospitalization data. It was noted that 99% of the children hospitalized for ingestion of oral contraceptives had no symptoms reported on hospital record. Because of the accidental ingestion of oral contraceptives the hormone category has entered the top 10 categories rising from twenty-fourth place in 1959-1961 to eighth in 1965.