Childhood Poisonings

The Queensland Injury Surveillance Unit has compiled the following as a result of data collated from Emergency Departments at fifteen hospitals located in metropolitan and rural Queensland.

Childhood poisoning has a relatively small likelihood of fatality, but is nearly entirely preventable in the case of those aged under five years. For this target group some caution and planning around the home can save a lot of grief.

Childhood poisoning is one of the most common reasons for presentation at hospital emergency departments in Australia.

Telephone Contact
Poisons Information Centre 13 1126

For children aged under five, poisoning is the third most common reason for presentation (after falls and struck by or collision with an object), and the second most common reason for admission to hospital.

• 1516 children aged 0 – 14 years presented to one of the fifteen emergency departments during 1998 and 1999 following an ingestion or poisoning event.
• Six fatalities in Queensland over the six years prior to 2000.
• 35% of presentations were admitted to hospital.
• Children were admitted more than twice as frequently in regional areas compared to Brisbane.
• Almost nine out of ten presentations were children under five.
• Almost 60% of childhood poisoning cases involved medications, most commonly paracetamol.
• 60% of female and 13% of male presentations in the 10 – 14 year age group were intentional self harm. (QISU Injury Bulletin no 60 July 2000)