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As childhood swallowing and poisoning accidents, posing a deadly threat to children, occur frequently, caregivers should be more careful and measures for child safety are urgently needed.
Commemorating May, which is considered Family Month in Korea, the Korea Consumer Agency (President: Young-seen Kim, www.kca.go.kr) conducted an analysis on cases related to swallowing and poisoning, that can cause serious side effects such as suffocation and damage to internal organs, among child safety accidents reported to the Consumer Injury Surveillance System (CISS) and found a continued growth in number every year.
(Unit: cases)
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2009
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2010
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2011
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Swallowing Accident
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586
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910 (+55.3%)
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1,314 (+44.4%)
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Poisoning Accident
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157
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131 (-16.6%)
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263 (+100.8%)
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Total
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743
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1,041 (+40.1%)
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1,577 (+51.5%)
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According to the investigation, swallowing accidents were the most frequently caused by toys (17.2% or 487 cases), followed by fishbone, a marble, coins, and office supplies at 12.9%, 9.0%, 5.7%, and 5.0%, respectively.
Drugs (20.1% or 111 cases) were the most common item causing poisoning accidents, followed by pesticide, bleach, cigarette, and instant glue at 9.1%, 6.4%, 2.7%, and 2.5%, respectively.
In case of safety accidents due to medicine, many cases were related to prescribed medicines, which were excluded from obligation to have child-proof packaging. Countermeasures are urgently needed.
As the result indicates that most incidents occurred due to items that are easily accessible to children in their daily lives, the KCA ask caregivers to pay particular attention to their children more. Meanwhile, the KCA is going to recommend to relevant Agencies to conduct a safety check of toys with small parts, extend the list of items obligatory to have child-proof packaging, and forbid the use of food image onto pesticides.
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