1-year-old baby died of poisoning! This thing is in almost every household! Be careful!

For Xiaoxi (pseudonym), a 1-year-and-4-month-old baby, it only took 7 hours for him to go from being lively and energetic at home to being sent to the intensive care unit in critical condition.

The child received continuous blood purification treatment

Previously, Xiaoxi was playing alone at home when he suddenly fell to the ground, became unconscious and convulsed. When his family rushed over and saw what was happening, they were horrified: Xiaoxi had somehow opened the bottle of mosquito coils at home and drank the liquid inside!

The family rushed the child to a nearby hospital, but his condition took a turn for the worse. Xiaoxi soon became unresponsive, his limbs were stiff and shaking, his face and lips were cyanotic, his eyes were staring upwards, he foamed at the mouth, and his limbs were cold. The local hospital was unable to treat him, so he was immediately transferred to the Chengdu Women and Children's Central Hospital for treatment.

When Xiaoxi was transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit, she was in a coma and her face and lips were cyanotic. The parents said that they did not know what the mosquito coil liquid was made of or how much the child drank, and could not provide any effective clues.

The doctor immediately intubated the child, provided ventilator-assisted ventilation, and performed continuous blood purification treatment in the hope of alleviating the poisoning.
But after 5 days of intensive rescue and treatment, Xiaoxi's condition did not improve, but progressively worsened, and he eventually passed away due to multiple organ failure.

This tragedy is a real case that happened in Chengdu Women and Children's Central Hospital. Incidents like this where children are hospitalized due to poisoning due to ingestion or misuse of mosquito repellent products occur every year.

Why is electric mosquito repellent liquid so "toxic"?

It is reported that the ingredients in electric mosquito coils are highly toxic. Liquid electric mosquito coils use the capillary principle to continuously heat and release insecticides.

If young babies accidentally ingest the mosquito repellent, they may experience gastrointestinal discomfort. Oral intake of the mosquito repellent liquid may irritate the gastrointestinal mucosa, causing nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms.

If the patient ingests a large amount and it is not treated in time, the toxicity can act on the whole body, especially the nervous system, causing shortness of breath, short-term slow reaction, and obvious tremors and convulsions.

Severe cases may go into coma or even die.

“Low toxicity” does not mean non-toxic!

Generally speaking, mosquito coil liquid vaporizes and diffuses into the air, and the impact on human body if it comes into contact with or inhaled is minimal. However, if the liquid is accidentally ingested into the digestive tract, the danger cannot be ignored, especially for children whose organs are relatively delicate, their metabolism is vigorous, and their compensation ability is poor. If they come into contact with the digestive tract, respiratory tract or skin mucosa before the toxic components are degraded, it will pose a threat to their health.

If swallowed, seek medical attention immediately

Acute poisoning in children is the main cause of accidental injury in children and the leading cause of death in children aged 1 to 4 years.

Factors such as children's gradually improving grasping ability, strong curiosity, and poor ability to identify surrounding risk factors increase the risk of accidental ingestion in children of this age group.

In summer, mosquito coils are standard equipment in almost every household. How can you tell if your baby has been poisoned by mosquito coils?

What are the symptoms of mosquito coil liquid poisoning?

The toxic components in mosquito coil liquid primarily harm the nervous system, and the symptoms of poisoning are diverse.

Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, chest tightness, blurred vision, arrhythmia, coma, convulsions, twitching, cough, upper respiratory tract irritation symptoms, difficulty breathing, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, oral ulcers, increased secretions and/or difficulty swallowing, gastroesophageal ulcers, erosive gastritis, skin burning, itching, rash, etc. Coma and convulsions are the main life-threatening manifestations.

What should I do if I find my child has taken something by mistake?

The incubation period for acute poisoning by pyrethroid insecticides is 2 to 24 hours, most often 6 to 8 hours, and there may be no symptoms in the early stages. If your child is found to have taken an insecticide by mistake, go to the hospital immediately for treatment.

If the situation is serious, call 120 immediately! Perform preliminary treatment under the guidance of a doctor and wait for the doctor to arrive for rescue. Be careful not to induce vomiting without authorization to prevent secondary injuries such as mucosal burns and aspiration.

In daily life, parents should also be careful not to put bulk or liquid medicines, such as laundry detergent and pesticides, into plastic bottles, as this will make it easier for children to accidentally ingest them. Children's hospitals also often receive such emergency children.

If children are found to have accidentally ingested these toxic substances, it is best to send them to the hospital for treatment immediately.

It is best not to use any mosquito repellent products for children, the elderly, pregnant women and other sensitive people at home. Try to use mosquito nets and other physical mosquito repellents. If you must use it, try to put it in a ventilated place and avoid using it for a long time . It is even more harmful to light mosquito coils in an air-conditioned room overnight.

Some inferior mosquito coils replace pyrethroids with organophosphorus pesticides such as dichlorvos. Although they can repel mosquitoes more effectively, they are much more toxic. Young children are very sensitive to these substances. If the air in the air-conditioned room is not well ventilated, they are likely to be allergic. In severe cases, they may also experience poisoning symptoms such as dizziness and chest tightness. The same is true for electric mosquito coils.

Finally, children are naturally lively and active, so parents should always pay attention to their children's safety to avoid poisoning incidents.

Planning and production

Source: People's Daily Online

Editor: Yang Yaping

Proofread by Xu Lai and Lin Lin