Sources of poisoning exposures in children during 1990-1995. An analysis of the National Poison Information Centre files.

Information protocols on the causes of acute poisoning exposures with chemicals in children up to 14 years old collected during 1990-95 at the National Poison Information Centre have been analyzed. Approximately 96% of intoxication were accidental, 44% of patients were poisoned with drugs, 22% with household products and 14% with pesticides. Almost 25% of drug poisonings were due to sedative and to psychotropic drugs, and 17% to drug mixtures. The frequency of mushrooms and plants poisonings were low - 6%. In Poland there are practically no acute poisoning departments which treat children (actually, there is only one Poison Unit in Kraków at Polish-American Children's Hospital), and thus these patients are treated in paediatric wards and paediatric hospitals, so complete data on the poisonings in children from over the whole territory of Poland are not available. However, we believe that the frequency of causes of children's intoxication in our country is properly reflected in our material. This allows us to draw conclusions of the prevention of poisoning in this age group.

[Poisoning with narcotics and hallucinogens in material from the Clinic of Acute Poisoning in Lodz (1993-1996)]. / Zatrucia srodkami narkotycznymi i halucynogennymi w materiale Kliniki Ostrych Zatruc Instytutu Medycyny Pracy w Lodzi (lata 1993-1996).

Our material consists of the patients treated for poisonings with street-drugs in Clinic of Acute Poisonings, Lódz, Poland during the period 1993-1996. During the time of 4 years, the number of hospitalised patients have grown up 4.5 times. The structure of used drugs has also changed. Up to 1993 the most popular were opiates derivatives and narcotic analgetics-morphine derivatives. In 1996 almost all narcotics are common, opiates (both natural and synthetic), cocaine, LSD, amphetamine and commonly used (by youngsters especially) Cannabis sativa (marihuana etc). The most common sources of poisoning in our material were opiates and amphetamine, followed by tetrahydrocannabinol derivatives-marijuana.

The pattern of acute poisonings with pesticides in Poland during the periods 1989-1990 and 1994-1995.

Pesticide constitute a large group of commonly used chemicals with diverse chemical structure and toxicity. They are intended mostly to protect plants and plant products from the activity of various harmful organisms but they can also be used as biocides. Pesticide poisonings may be due to suicidal attempts or accidental ingestion associated with improper storage in unlabelled containers. Severe cases are treated at the regional poison units while others in the in-patient and out-patient clinics all over the country. The study made us draw the conclusion that poisonings with organophosphates and dipyridyl derivatives pose an essential toxicological problem. They are usually severe and require long hospitalisation. The highest morality rate was noted also for the poisonings with organophosphates and dipyridyl derivatives. Suicidal attempts constitute the most frequent cause of the poisonings. The results of the analysis imply a necessity to replace the most harmful organophosphate and dipyridyl pesticides with others of a lower toxicity class. It should be underlined that in order to avoid an accidental misuse, pesticides should be stored in the original, labelled containers.

Causes of poisoning in children during the period 1990-1993.

We retrospectively analysed the files from our Centre concerning intoxication in children younger than 14 years. About 96% of intoxication were accidental, 43% of patients were poisoned with drugs, 22% with house-hold products and 15% with pesticides. Almost 25% of drug poisonings were due to sedative and to psychotropic drugs, the 20% to drug mixtures. The frequency of mushrooms and plants poisonings were low-7%. In Poland there are no acute poisoning departments which treat children, and thus these patients are treated in paediatric wards and paediatric hospitals, so complete data on the poisonings in children from over the whole territory of Poland are not available (due to the great number of paediatric wards in Poland and to the lack of a computer network, collection of such complete data is practically impossible). However, we believe that the frequency of causes of children's intoxication in our country is properly mirrored in our material. This allows conclusions to be drawn the prophylaxis of poisoning in this age group.