What to do if you think your child has been poisoned

If you think your child may have been poisoned:

call the New Zealand National Poisons Centre immediately on 0800 POISON (0800 764 766); this is a 24-hour 7-day toll free emergency telephone service

Phone 111 for an ambulance if:

your child is unconscious or having difficulty breathing
you are worried that your child looks very ill (see Is my child very sick?)
the Poisons Centre has advised you to do so

Do not try to make your child vomit or give food or liquid until you have been given advice.

See the New Zealand National Poisons Centre website for:

hints and tips for calling a Poisons Centre
general first aid advice for poisons that are:
– swallowed
– breathed in
– in eyes
– on skin
– bites or stings

Remember:

remain calm
bring the product container of the poisoning agent to the phone if you can, so you can provide any information asked by the poison information officer

Key facts about poisoning

poisoning is a major cause of hospitalization for young children in New Zealand
small children are at greatest risk - of all children hospitalised after a poisoning, most (80 percent) are aged between 0 and four years
for some children, poisonings can have lifelong consequences
nearly three-quarters of all childhood poisonings occur in the child’s home, or the home of a friend or family member
the most common childhood poisoning agents are drugs and medicines (both prescription and non-prescription); these account for approximately 67 percent of hospital admissions
common household chemicals and cleaners are responsible for around 30 percent of hospital admissions for poisoning

See Acknowedgements for these statistics.

How to prevent poisoning

Information to help you maintain a poison-safe environment in the home and outdoors is contained in the links below:

some basic facts and hints about preventing poisoning in the home and a range of fact sheets on poisoning issues at the NZ National Poisons Centre website
a Ministry of Health leaflet with hints and tips on the use of child-resistant packaging (below right)
a Safekids leaflet (below left) and poster on simple ways to help prevent poisoning by dishwashing detergent. The leaflet includes advice on what to do if a child swallows dishwashing detergent
an ACC (Accident Compensation Corporation) pamphlet on preventing poisoning
the Child Safety Foundation NZ's checklist Kaha the Kea’s poisons and stings
information about poisonous plants and biting and stinging insects at the Landcare Research Manaaki Whenua website

Where to go for more information

Child Safety Foundation of New Zealand
The activities of the Foundation are aimed, principally, but not exclusively at the safety of those children under the age of seven years. Foundation efforts are aimed at parent, caregiver, pre-school and primary school groups.
Head office address: 15 Veronica Street, New Lynn, Auckland
Postal address: PO Box 56-313, Dominion Road, Auckland
Phone: 64 9 827 6182 or call free on 0800 CHILD SAFETY (0800 244 5372)
Fax: 64 9 827 6184
Website: http://www.childsafety.co.nz/

National Poisons Centre
The National Poisons Centre provides 24 hour free advice on poisons and poison prevention, as well as emergency advice in the event of a poisoning.
Call free on 0800 POISON (0800 764 766)

Website: http://poisons.co.nz/

Safekids New Zealand
Safekids offers a number of services and programmes designed to contribute to the reduction of child injury.
Physical address: Fifth Floor, Cornwall Complex, Building 15, 40 Claude Road, Epsom, Auckland
Postal address: PO Box 26 488, Epsom, Auckland
Phone: 64 9 630 9955
Fax: 64 9 630 9961
Email: infocentre@safekids.org.nz (To access data and materials from the Safekids National Information & Resource Centre)
Website: http://www.safekids.org.nz/

Acknowledgements

Unintentional childhood poisoning 2006 Safekids fact sheet

Injury Prevention Research Unit. Unpublished NZHIS Hospitalisation Discharge Data (2000–2004), cited in Safekids. 2004. Factsheet: Unintentional childhood poisoning.

Your notes

Endorsement

This fact sheet was endorsed by PSNZ - 10/06/2008

Copyright

Fact sheets are subject to copyright. In the interests of information sharing they may be copied but acknowledgement must be given to PSNZ and Starship Foundation.
© The Paediatric Society of New Zealand and Starship Foundation 2005 - 2012

The Paediatric Society of New Zealand
http://www.paediatrics.org.nz

Starship Foundation
http://www.starship.org.nz

The Paediatric Society of New Zealand
http://www.paediatrics.org.nz

Starship Foundation
http://www.starship.org.nz

This fact sheet was printed on: 10-Feb-2012 03:44am

Poisons, bites and stings