Unintentional poisonings by household products in pediatric emergency departments in Spain.

Abstract

Introduction: Household products are a frequent cause of unintentional poisoning in children under 7 years of age. However, very few studies analyze their characteristics. The objective of our study was to analyze the typology, epidemiology, interventions, and outcomes of cases of unintentional poisoning by household products managed in pediatric emergency departments (PEDs) in Spain.

Methods: Observational study based on the prospective registry of the Toxicology Observatory of the Poisoning Working Group of the Spanish Society of Pediatric Emergency Medicine (SEUP), including 58 PEDs. We analyzed cases registered between 2008 and 2025.

Results: Of the 3900 registered poisonings, 726 (18.6%) corresponded to unintentional ingestion of household products in children under 7 years of age. The median age was 24 months (interquartile range, 16-35), 57% were male, and 94% of the episodes occurred at home, primarily in the kitchen (318 cases; 74.6%). Household products were the main group of toxic substances involved in children aged 12-20 months. Caustics were the most frequently involved type of product (214 cases [29.5%]; bleach was the most frequent individual agent, involved in 159 cases [21.9%]), and poisoning by caustic substances was significantly associated with storage in nonoriginal containers and within reach of children, as well as with a higher proportion of symptoms, additional tests, and endoscopies. No patients died. Esophageal caustic burns were documented in 6 patients (0.82%), all of them after ingestion of caustics (2.8% of this group).

Conclusions: Unintentional ingestion of household products is the leading cause of poisoning in children aged 12-20 months managed in Spanish emergency departments. The implementation of effective prevention strategies, especially regarding caustic substances, is urgently needed.