Child-safety caps being blamed for alarming increase in accidental poisonings
By: Nikki Henderson
Updated: March 20, 2013
The safety caps on your medications could land your child in the emergency room.
A new study released Wednesday shows child-resistant caps may not be so safe after all.
The report found a 30 percent spike over the past decade in young kids accidentally poisoned by medication. In 2011 alone, 67,000 children were rushed to hospitals for it.
Kate Carr is president and CEO of the watchdog group Safe Kids invited a group of 4-year-olds to a play date. Then several medications were bought including Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen, cough syrup, iron pills and prescription antibiotics.
Before the test the bottles were emptied and sanitized so that nothing was left behind.
Within three seconds one of the children popped the safety cap on Ibuprofen which according to Safe Kids is the No. 1 drug kids get into. About a minute later the young girl opened a bottle of Acetaminophen which is No. 3 on the list. During the test every child in the group was able to open at least one bottle.
Carr says the scary thing is that children think that it is candy, so they swallow it and go after more.
Carr also says what you may not know is that under federal law these caps don't have to be childproof, just child-resistant.
Meanwhile, safety experts say it's unrealistic to lock up your medication. So the best thing to do is to take the medicine off your nightstand, off the kitchen counter and put it away where you can reach it but your kids can't and do it every time.
