Personal care products like shampoo, lotion, makeup, nail polish, and cologne are daily use products and seem like they should be safe since they are intended for use on our bodies. However, in the hands of young children, these products can quickly lead to trouble.
A new study conducted by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital found that 64,686 children younger than five years of age were treated in U.S. emergency departments for injuries related to personal care products from 2002 through 2016 – that is the equivalent of about one child every two hours.
The study found that most injuries from these products occurred when a child swallowed the product (75.7%) or the product made contact with a child’s skin or eyes (19.3%). These ingestions and exposures most often led to poisonings (86.2%) or chemical burns (13.8%).
Kids under 5 years can’t read, so they don’t know what they are looking at when see these products. They see a bottle with a colorful label that looks or smells like something they are allowed to eat or drink, so they try to open it and take a swallow. When the bottle turns out to be nail polish remover instead of juice, or lotion instead of yogurt, serious injuries can occur.
The top three product categories leading to injuries According to the study were:
- Nail care products (28.3%)
- Haircare products (27.0%)
- Skincare products (25.0%),
- Fragrance products (12.7%).
Where Nail polish remover was the individual product that led to the most number of visits to the emergency room (17.3% of all injuries
What We Should Do To Avoid Our Kids These Serious Risk?
By following these tips we can help children stay safer:
- Up, Away And Out Of Sight:
Store all personal care products safely: up, away and out of sight – in a cabinet that can be locked or latched is best. Never leave personal care products out unattended and put them away immediately after use. - Store Safely Now:
It is never too soon to start practicing safe storage. Almost 60% of the injuries in this study were to children younger than 2 years of age. - Original Containers:
Keep all personal care products in their original containers.