Hazards Associated With Diaper Changing
- Mary A. McCormick, PharmBS;
- Peter G. Lacouture, MS;
- Pierre Gaudreault, MD;
- Frederick H. Lovejoy Jr, MD
- From the Massachusetts Poison Control System (Ms McCormick and Mr Lacouture); the Clinical Pharmacology-Toxicology Unit (Drs Lacouture and Lovejoy), The Children's Hospital Medical Center; and the Departments of Pediatrics (Dr Lovejoy) and Pharmacology (Dr Gaudreault), Harvard Medical School, Boston.
Abstract
The incidence of exposure to poisons occurring in children during diaper changing was recorded during a three-month period. There were 138 cases, with 79% between the ages of 7 to 18 months; 42% of the poisonings occurred between 5 PM and 9 PM. Powders accounted for 47% of the exposures. Symptoms were mild and occurred most often with powders. During diaper changing, children are at increased risk of poisoning.
(JAMA 1982;248:2159-2160)
Footnotes
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Reprint requests to Massachusetts Poison Control System, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115 (Ms McCormick).
