Holiday Toy Safety and the Dangers of Magnets and Button Batteries скачать в хорошем качестве

Holiday Toy Safety and the Dangers of Magnets and Button Batteries

http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org Those holiday toys with magnets and button batteries may be more dangerous than you thought. Experts at Cincinnati Children's have some toy-shopping tips that could keep your child out of the emergency room. Kids can unintentionally swallow strong magnets or coin-sized lithium batteries that can do major damage to their airway or intestines. DOCTOR QUOTE 2:23-2:44 "Magnets are a particular problem because they have a lot of attraction towards each other," says Dr. Mike Gittelman, an emergency medicine physician at Cincinnati Children's. "And so, some of the stronger magnets, when you swallow them, and they get inside of your intestines, they can actually form that magnet and all kind of come together, and it can cause problems such as bowel obstructions or a lack of blood flow to areas of your intestines." Recent studies say incidents of children swallowing magnets are on the rise. The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that between 2009 and 2011, 1,700 children were taken to the emergency room after ingesting magnets, with many kids requiring surgery. And doctors aren't just seeing the problem in toddlers. They've also seen teenagers accidentally swallow smaller magnetic balls after using them to mimic facial piercings. Some toy companies have voluntarily recalled the tiny magnets known as Buckyballs. But there are similar products still on the market labelled for older kids. Doctors warn that despite the label on a package, it's important to know your child. "A lot of times those are just recommendations on the box." Gittelman says. "You really need to know your child. Because every child, although one child's 2, another child's 4, they're all developmentally different. So you have to one, know your child and have an idea of what they're OK with. When you get hand-me-downs from families, the best thing to do is look online, go to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Make sure one, that it wasn't recalled and two, get an idea of the appropriate ages that a child should have, cause a parent or a grandparent might give it to a child because they think it's a great toy, but they don't realize that it's not appropriate for their age." Most kids seen in the emergency department after swallowing magnets or batteries are 5 years old or younger, with most being ages 1 to 3, Gittelman says. Another problem is that children often put the magnets or batteries in their ears or noses, he says. The typical child seen for magnet swallowing is 5 years old, and the average child treated for having a magnet stuck in the nose was 10. If you suspect your child has swallowed a magnet or a lithium batteries, take your child to the emergency department immediately. Do not try to induce vomiting or give food or drink. If your child is experiencing breathing problems, call 911. Symptoms from swallowing magnets may appear flu-like and include nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. "A lot of families have more than one child in the house, and so the younger child sees the older child playing with a toy, and they want to play with it, too. It's really important that if there's a toy with small pieces, where it could be a problem for a smaller child, that the older child needs to keep it in a separate room, so that may be a toy only for their room, and the younger child isn't allowed in there to get those toys," Gittelman says. If a toy or object is small enough to fit through a toilet paper roll, it is too small for a child younger than 5 to play with, he says. For more information, go to http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org