Posters IV - The American Academy of Clinical Toxicology

More education is needed among emergency physicians of all ages and levels of training on synthetic
cannabinoids.
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Pills vs. Candy: A Popular Online Game to Prevent Poisonings
Iana M Simeonov 1 , Kristina M Hamm 1 , Stuart E Heard 1
1 UCSF-California Poison Control System, San Francisco CA USA
Background Poison exposure is the 2nd leading cause of injury and death to children 0-5 years in the
U.S. Nationally, nearly 80% of poison exposures occur at home and 51% involve children under 5.
However, parents are largely unaware of poisoning risks, often confused about prevention strategies and
unacquainted with poison centers as a resource. Data from the American Association of Poison Control
Centers shows OTC and prescription medications accounting for the majority of childhood exposures. In
focus groups, parents report concern around colorful "pills" being mistaken for treats. Objective In 2010,
online games overtook personal email to become the 2nd biggest activity behind social networks. To
leverage the popularity of games for health promotion, "Pills vs. Candy" was developed and launched
within three weeks. The game delivers a simple message: over-the-counter medications and candy may
appear indistinguishable and pose a risk to children. Methods Players identify seemingly identical pairs
of medicine and candy by tapping on a photo. Answers are shown with the next pairing, player scores are
tabulated and can be posted on Facebook or Twitter. OTC medications and candy were photographed
professionally, a designer created a simple, clean user interface and a developer custom-coded the game
using the programming language PHP. The game has its own .com and .org web addresses for English and
Spanish versions. Results In its first 2 months, the game had 12,000 visits. Most visitors played to the end
and scored 65% correct. The initial "bounce rate" (percentage who did not continue) was a low 22%. At
first, most traffic was direct, but promotion efforts have increased the number of visitors referred from
other sites by 200%. Most recent data shows 409 visits in March 2011 alone, a lowered bounce rate of
14%, and a 61% increase in referring traffic. Media mentions of the service also increased by nearly 30%.
Conclusions As part of a social marketing strategy, online and social games have enormous potential to
deliver serious messages. For budget-conscious public health programs, they can also be a cost-effective
way to reach larger audiences.
284
A Risky Toy
S. Denise Holzman 1 , Andrea Clements 1 , Keith Boesen 1 , Farshad Shirazi 1
1 Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ USA
Background: Rare earth magnets have powerful properties, such as strong magnetic field and great
resistance to demagnetization. These attributes result in compact, light magnets, and make them desirable
for use in many products. They have also been incorporated into toys. The same properties that make these
magnets valuable in other applications make them hazardous if ingested. Cases of potentially lifethreatening
effects as a result of magnet ingestions have been reported. Case report: We present a 3 year
old who swallowed 13 rare earth magnets. The magnets, called Buckyballs, were 5 mm each, spherical
and smooth. An initial x-ray showed 2 foreign bodies located near his epiglottis and 11 foreign bodies,
linked together in a linear fashion, located near the upper portion of his small intestine. The 2 magnets in
the upper oropharynx were removed. For three days he received MiraLax 17 grams twice daily, and for
two days he was given a sodium phosphate/biphosphate pediatric enema, 66 milliliters (mL) per dose. X-