According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accidental poisoning is responsible for sending more than 1,000 people to emergency rooms each year and that its prevalence rate is on the rise. This increase is partly attributed to the fact that accidental poisoning can be caused by common household items or medications which can be easily purchased from drug stores and other retailers. This is why knowing about these different causes is very important during basic first aid training. By knowing what these causes are, accidental poisoning can be easily avoided and the necessary first aid techniques can be immediately applied. Here are some of these causes.
Painkillers
Even though many news outlets complain about the lack of government-conducted statistical studies done about Opioid usage in Canada, the independent research conducted by several health professionals are still compelling. According to the statistics that was given to the Global News by the Office of the Chief Coroner in Ontario, the number of Canadians who die due to the illegal consumption of Opiods are twice as much as those who die from car accidents. It was also revealed that this fatality or death rate increases every year.
Personal/Cosmetic Products
Aside from makeup and face creams, personal products also refer to items that are used on the face or the body for several reasons such as facial tissues, soaps and hair brushes. Considering that skin absorbs 60% of the products that are being applied to it, small amounts of certain products when used regularly or inappropriately can still cause accidental poisoning. These products include lipstick and perfumes which can be accidentally used children especially if they are just left lying around the house.
Cleaning Products
Even though it is a common knowledge that cleaning products should never be ingested in any way, these household products remain as one of the most common causes of accidental poisoning especially in children. However, this type of accidental poisoning is also one of the most preventable since parents and guardians will not find it hard to select the products which can be harmful to their kids and other people.
Depending on the cause, some of these cases of accidental poisoning are cured by eliciting the gag reflex of the individual or performing gastric pumping through several tools. These different methods and how they should be used are discussed in basic first aid classes which are why these classes are very important.