A study by the National Poisons Information Centre (NPIC) at AIIMS, New Delhi on an analysis of last 10 year’s phone calls revealed that children are most at risk of getting poisoned through pesticides used at homes and that there is “increased incidence of poisoning due to household products”. NPIC was founded in the year of 1995, to focus on combating acute poisoning – which is termed as one of the most common medical emergencies in the world.
According to a report by The Indian Express, 16,420 calls received by NPIC from April 2006 to March 2016 were analysed. The study pointed out that the regular pesticides used in households account for a maximum number of cases for poisoning, which amounts to nearly 44% of all the cases registered. Pesticides are closely followed by household cleaners accounting to 21.8% of the cases – among the rest, there are even thermometer mercury (5.2%), naphthalene balls (5%), antiseptics (3%), kerosene (2%) and paint thinner (2%). The study also determined that poisoning caused by products like camphor, silica gel, hair dye, nail polish remover, cosmetics, adhesives amounted to nearly 17% of all the cases for poisoning.
A total of 7,114 cases were registered in the span of ten years, amongst whom 38.7% were adults, whereas a whopping 61.2% of the total cases were children. The study also stated that 66.8% of all those cases were unintentional, and around 33% of the cases were intentional. “The most common route of exposure was oral (95.6%),” it noted.
However, it also pointed out that the cross-section of the study, though is not representative of the entire nation and the pattern of poisoning varies with different parts of the country, throws ample light on the issue of increased incidents of poisoning among the children.
Careless storage of pesticides and paired with negligible parental supervision are held responsible for the increased number of poisoning amongst children. The study noted, “The probable reasons for high incidence could be careless storage, ignorance, non-compliance with prescribed instructions for use and negligible parental supervision in case of children. The results highlight an urgent need to identify high-risk circumstances, common toxic products involved.”
It further added that the usage of different chemicals in various fields and easy availability of it has also paved way for increased cases of poisoning in kids as well as adults.
