Spring holidays bring time with family, the joys of coloring eggs and the first garden chores. However, the Health Board’s Poison Information Center receives more worried phone calls than usual at this time every year.
The poisoning hotline 16662 is often called during Easter with cases where a child has put or swallowed dye intended for coloring eggs.
“For example, a worried mother called, whose child had eaten a green tablet for coloring eggs, which is dissolved in water, on candy the day before. At night, the child slept restlessly, felt nauseous and vomited in the morning,” Mare Oder, head of the Poison Information Center, described one case.
“Egg dyes should not be feared too much, because they are mostly food dyes and tasting them does not cause acute poisoning,” said Oder. Gastrointestinal and skin irritation is the main health complaint when food coloring is swallowed. In this case, the child’s mouth must be rinsed and a drink offered to dilute the paint. It is possible that the child develops an allergy to the dye.
“It is definitely worth avoiding decorating eggs with other substances that are not intended for this – for example brilliant green, whose bright green color is attractive for coloring eggs, but can cause severe irritation if it gets into the mouth, skin or eyes,” Oder pointed out one source of the colorful danger.
“For example, a one-year-old child had gotten hold of a bottle of brilliant green and put it in his mouth and on his skin. The mother, who called the hotline, was worried whether she was now poisoned and needed to run to the EMO immediately,” Oder described one case. Brilliant green is an alcohol-based solution that irritates the mucous membranes. Therefore, if the substance accidentally gets into the mouth, instead of rushing to the hospital, the mouth and skin should be rinsed, a cooler drink and food should be given, and the child’s well-being should be monitored.
Before and during the spring holidays, a major cleaning is often done and garden work begins, during which various chemicals are used. In this case, it is important to wear rubber gloves, a mask, safety glasses and, if necessary, protective clothing. When using chemicals in the room, you must open the windows and ensure proper air exchange in the rooms. When using chemicals, you must thoroughly study the user manual on the product package, and it is also worth looking for the hazard symbol or pictogram on the package that indicates the danger of the substance.
In case of poisoning or suspicion of it, it is worth calling the information number 16662. “By calling the poisoning information line, a worried caller can get clarity about the danger of the situation or even unnecessary fear, which is why they go to the hospital less,” explained Oder and suggested saving the poisoning information number 16662 in the phone so that it can be found quickly if necessary.
Calling is anonymous and the advice line is open 24/7. Calls are answered by nurses and doctors with long-term work experience and special education in the field of poisoning, who assess the danger of the situation and give correct instructions for first aid and further actions. You can ask for advice in Estonian, Russian and English. You can read more about poisoning risks on the website of the Poison Information Center www.16662.ee.
Notice:
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Before using the chemical, read the product’s user manual and look at the danger label on the package!
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Keep chemicals in their original packaging! That way they don’t get mixed up with other products.
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When using chemicals, protect yourself and wear rubber gloves, a mask, special protective glasses, protective clothing if necessary!
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Take care of others when gardening or working with chemicals! Children and pets must be sent away when spraying trees or bushes in the garden. Also inform your neighbors about major plant protection works and choose calm weather to carry out the work.
The post Easter can be dangerous – poisonings with both egg dyes and garden chemicals happen on spring holidays appeared first on Lääne Elu.
2024-03-29 08:50:40
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