The Health bulletin [serial] - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

February, 1955The Health BulletinLaxatives, anti-hypertensives and avariety of other therapeutic agents accountedfor the remaining deaths inthe drug group.Insect and rodent poisons accountedfor the majority of the deaths classedas pesticide accidents. The syntheticorganic pesticides were not encountered,the majority being of the heavy metalgroup.Since information available to theinvestigators was limited to that containedon death certificates, no accurateinformation is available on the totalnumber of non-fatal accidents resultingfrom toxic materials. One study completedby the Insect and Rodent ControlSection of the North CarolinaState Board of Health indicated a possiblehigh incidence of eye injuriesresulting from the use of organic insecticidesin agriculture in easternNorth Carolina.The National Safety Council, on thebasis of large-scale surveys among policyholders of several insurance companies,has estimated that, for eachaccidental death, there will occur from100 to 200 non-fatal accidents.2 Applyingthese estimates to the 1953 experiencein North Carolina and utilizingas a base only the 39 cases studied,one may estimate from 3,900 to 7,800non-fatal poisoning accidents each year.Admittedly, poisoning accidents mayhave a higher fatality rate than othertypes of accidents, but all would acknowledgethat the loss of life, disabilityand economic loss from this singletype of accident are tragic. Arena,Dietrich, and others frequently havecited the physically and mentally traumaticcrippling resulting from non-fatalaccidents with lye and other caustics.3-4All safety authorities agree that,except in the most unusual circumstances,an accident experienced bya child under five years of age representsa failure on the part of the parentsin exercising the necessary protectionand education to equip it tomeet the hazards of day-to-day livingwithin the home.Since the protection of children fromdeath by the accidental ingestion orinhalation of a toxic material can beachieved by the total and completeseparation of the child from the toxicagent, one is tempted to observe thatwith these accidents the etiological relationshipsare not as complex as inthe case of falls, fires and other typesof home accidents. While the preventionof these accidents hinges on the relativelysimple principle of separation ofthe child and the poison, stimulatingthe parent to institute such controlof toxic materials in the home is exceedinglycomplex.Doubtless some of the poison deathsand injuries each year can be attributedto apathy, carelessness and a genuinelack of concern on the part of the parentfor the safety of the child. Somepossibly can be attributed to the greatnumber of highly toxic agents whichare marketed, purchased and broughtinto the home without the labels notingthe toxicity of the contents. This istrue of furniture polish, paint solvents,cosmetics, floor wax, bleaches,soaps and many of the householdcleaning aids now on the market. Astudy recently completed by the Departmentof Pharmacology of a largeEastern university pointed out theextreme reluctance on the part ofseveral of the leading manufacturersof waxes, polishes, cosmetics and otherproducts to divulge even the barest detailsas to the constituents used in themanufacturing process.Pharmacists and physicians fromtime to time have been exhorted tocaution patients receiving prescriptionsas to the toxicity of the medicine. Themanufacturers of "baby aspirin" havebeen petitioned to reduce the amountof aspirin per tablet, reduce the numberof tablets in each package and removethe candy flavoring and coloringfrom the tablets. Some degree of cooperationis being obtained from all ofthese sources.While an attack on all these frontscan contribute to the protection of thechild from the toxic agent, none cancreate a complete barrier, since the finalact of this modern tragedy is writtenwithin the home, where the child is