Accidental poisoning in children mostly affects the very young: according to Anses, the median age of exposed children is 2. Between 2014 and 2020, French poison centres recorded 590,444 accidental exposures in children under 15. Medicines and household products are the main causes, and carbon monoxide is the deadliest.
These figures come from a toxicovigilance report by the Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire (Anses, the French agency for food, environmental and occupational health and safety), published in February 2024. It draws on three sources: calls to poison centres, hospital stays and death certificates.
How many children are affected by accidental poisoning?
Of the 590,444 accidental exposures reported to poison centres between 2014 and 2020, 24 % led to symptoms, or 143,144 cases. That is around 20,000 poisonings with symptoms every year in children under 15. So the vast majority of exposures have no consequences, but the numbers are considerable.
The average age of the children affected is 3.1 years, and the median age is 2. Children aged 1 to 5 are the most affected. At this age, a child moves around on their own, opens cupboards and puts everything in their mouth, with no sense of danger.
This urge to explore is normal, as we explain in our article on why babies put everything in their mouth. It’s the environment that needs adapting, not the child.
Hospital admissions and deaths
- 22,785 hospital admissions for accidental poisoning in children under 6 between 2014 and 2019, including 559 in intensive care (2.5 %).
- 382 high-severity cases and 10 deaths among the poisonings with symptoms reported to poison centres, or 0.3 % of them.
- 23 deaths from accidental poisoning in children under 15 between 2014 and 2017, according to death certificates.
Which products cause the most poisonings in children?
The ranking changes depending on whether you look at all exposures, those that cause symptoms, or severe cases.
- Across all exposures, medicines come first (32 %), ahead of cleaning, household and descaling products (19 %).
- Among poisonings with symptoms, cleaning products take the lead (around 30 %), with medicines accounting for 16 %.
- Among severe poisonings, medicines are once again the leading cause, with 34 % of cases.
Laundry products
Almost half of poisonings by household products (45 %) are caused by laundry products, according to Anses. Liquid laundry capsules attract young children with their colours and texture. When they burst, they can cause breathing problems or eye injuries.
Medicines
Medicines acting on the nervous system, opioid painkillers and certain heart medicines are among the most dangerous. A single dose can be enough for a young child. Dosing errors are another risk: our article on calculating the paracetamol dose by weight explains how to avoid overdosing.
Carbon monoxide and cannabis
In children under 6, carbon monoxide is the leading cause of hospital admission for poisoning (11 %) and the second cause of admission to intensive care (21 %). It is also the leading cause of death: 9 of the 23 deaths recorded between 2014 and 2017. This gas is colourless, odourless and non-irritating, so it cannot be detected without a detector.
Cannabis, for its part, is the leading cause of admission to intensive care for poisoning in children under 6, with 23 % of admissions. Anses points out that these poisonings are becoming more and more frequent and that they require prompt medical care, even when it is only suspected.
Button batteries and small objects
In the cases analysed by Anses, 19 children had swallowed a button battery from a toy or a remote control. A swallowed button battery can burn the oesophagus within a few hours: any suspicion calls for immediate medical advice.
What to do if a child is accidentally poisoned
Anses gives two instructions, depending on how serious the situation is.
- Signs of distress (loss of consciousness, difficulty breathing, seizures): in France, call 15 or 112, or 114 for deaf and hard-of-hearing people.
- In all other cases, even with no symptoms: call a poison centre, available 24 hours a day. Anses gives the number of the Paris centre, 01 45 42 59 59.
Keep the product packaging so you can describe it over the phone. Don’t make the child vomit and don’t give them anything to drink without medical advice.
How to prevent poisoning at home
- Store medicines and household products up high and locked away, straight after use.
- Never decant a product into a drinks bottle or glass.
- Keep laundry capsules closed in their original box, out of reach.
- Have heating appliances serviced every year and air your home, and never use a makeshift heater.
- Check battery-operated toys: the battery compartment should be screwed shut.
- Think about other homes: grandparents, childminder, friends. Medicines are often less well secured there.
To make every room safe, our guide to babyproofing your home covers the key steps. Poisonings are part of a wider picture, described in our article on everyday accidents in young children. Hot water scalds have their own dedicated article: hot water scalds in babies. Finally, keep up with baby product recalls for toys and items withdrawn from sale.
Sources
- Anses, “Expositions accidentelles à des toxiques chez les enfants”, toxicovigilance study report (referral 2020-SA-0084), February 2024.
- Anses, “Intoxications accidentelles de l'enfant : quelles sont les plus fréquentes et les plus graves ? Comment les prévenir ?”, article published on 3 July 2024.
- Anses, “Vigil'Anses” no. 22, April 2024.
