Latest Attack on Smokeless Tobacco? Accidental Child Poisoning

Smokeless tobacco products may be contributing to accidental poisonings in very young children, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics. Between 2006 and 2008, some 1,800 U.S. youngsters accidentally consumed smokeless tobacco products, based on analysis of 13,705 tobacco-related reports to the nation’s poison control centers (vs. 3,600 poisonings a year involving cigarettes and filter tips). Alfred Aleguas, Jr., a co-author of the study from the Northern Ohio Poison Center, said a single Orb, which contains about 1 milligram of nicotine, is enough to sicken a small child, and a handful of pellets potentially could be lethal. Of course, there have not been any such dire consequences from the ingestions to date.

The study and attendant news reports failed to note just how common non-lethal accidental child poisoning is, and how varied the causes. Facts: There were an estimated 86,194 child poisoning incidents treated in US hospital emergency departments in 2004, amounting to 429.4 poisonings per 100000 children. Approximately 70% of the poisonings involved children 1 or 2 years of age. Approximately 59.5% of the poisonings involved oral prescription drugs, oral nonprescription drugs, or supplements. Other major product categories resulting in poisonings included cleaning products (13.2%), drugs and ointment preparations intended for external use (4.9%), and personal care products (4.7%). Approximately 54.7% of the poisonings involved products already subject to child-resistant packaging requirements under the Poison Prevention Packaging Act. PEDIATRICS Vol. 122 No. 6 December 2008, pp. 1244-1251

The bottom line: Kids ingest anything within their reach, and smokeless products have not been shown to be any more likely to be ingested or to have more dire consequences than any other substance involved in accidental ingestion. Is there a move to ban drugs, supplements, ointments or personal care products?