Australian parents warned to keep poisonous staff out of childrens' reach

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on Thursday warned parents to keep poisonous products from children's reach as data showed almost 2,500 children are admitted to hospital every year following poisonings.

As part of the International Poison Prevention Week, the ACCC has released a report which analyses calls made to the Poisons Information Centres from June 2014 to May 2015.

"Each year, 180,000 calls are made to the Poisons Information Centres in Australia, with about half of these relating to children. The most common causes of poisoning incidents were all-purpose and hard surface cleaners, detergents, toilet bowl products, bleach, hand sanitisers, detergents and glow sticks," ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.

"Children under 5 are most at risk of accidental poisoning, with the risk highest for 2 year olds."

"Poisonings often occur on holidays when families are heading to holiday houses or visiting friends and relatives who may not have young children," Rickard said as the four-day Easter holiday starts on Friday.

The ACCC reports found that injuries range from skin irritations and eye damage through to severe internal burns. Ingesting toxic products can result in difficulty swallowing, chest pains, abdominal pain and vomiting. Some chemicals contacting the skin or eyes can result in rashes, chemical burns and blindness.

"The most serious incidents relate to carbon monoxide exposure, button batteries, caustic cleaners such as oven and BBQ cleaners, acids, pool chemicals, household bleaches and herbicides," Rickard said.

The ACCC is working with industry, parenting and accident prevention groups and other regulatory agencies to reduce the number and severity of preventable poisonings in Australia through raising consumer awareness about the hazards and encouraging product improvements. Enditem