Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 22, 2026

Handheld Metal Detector Screening for Metallic Foreign Body Ingestion in Children
04:55

Handheld Metal Detector Screening for Metallic Foreign Body Ingestion in Children

Published on: September 11, 2018

10.4K

Children's recognition of dangerous household products: child development and poisoning risk

David C Schwebel1, Hayley Wells2, Anna Johnston2

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham schwebel@uab.edu.

Journal of Pediatric Psychology
|October 13, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Young children often cannot tell safe from dangerous household items, leading to accidental poisonings. Packaging design, like black bottles and clear symbols, can help them identify hazardous products.

Area of Science:

  • Child Development
  • Toxicology
  • Product Safety

Background:

  • Preliterate children lack the cognitive ability to differentiate between safe and hazardous household products.
  • This inability poses a significant risk for accidental poisoning in young children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate preliterate children's ability to distinguish safe from hazardous household products.
  • To identify product packaging features that may aid children in recognizing danger.

Main Methods:

  • Three studies were conducted with children aged 17-54 months.
  • Tasks included recognizing product safety, choosing between dangerous and beverage bottles, and sorting objects by safety.
  • Evaluated children's interactions with and identification of household products.

Main Results:

  • Children frequently interacted with dangerous products and misidentified poisonous items as safe.
  • Specific packaging features, including black and opaque bottles, insect symbols, non-pointy spouts, squared shapes, and metal containers, were associated with better danger recognition.
  • Developmental trends in recognizing product safety were observed.

Conclusions:

  • Cognitive development aids preliterate children in distinguishing safe from dangerous products.
  • Product packaging modifications by industry and policymakers can potentially reduce child poisoning risks.
Abstract

Keywords:
categorizationchild developmentcognitive developmenthousehold safetyinjurypoisoningproduct packagingsafetysymbol recognition

More Related Videos

Assessment of Chemical Toxicity in Adult Drosophila Melanogaster07:02

Assessment of Chemical Toxicity in Adult Drosophila Melanogaster

Published on: March 24, 2023

4.8K
A High-throughput Assay for the Prediction of Chemical Toxicity by Automated Phenotypic Profiling of Caenorhabditis elegans09:01

A High-throughput Assay for the Prediction of Chemical Toxicity by Automated Phenotypic Profiling of Caenorhabditis elegans

Published on: March 14, 2019

6.4K

Related Concept Videos

Pharmaceutical Poisoning: Potential Scenarios01:26

Pharmaceutical Poisoning: Potential Scenarios

Pharmaceutical poisoning can occur through various channels, impacting an estimated 2 million hospitalized patients in the U.S. annually with serious adverse drug responses. These scenarios encompass both therapeutic uses, such as drug toxicity, where even standard dosages can lead to severe central nervous system depression, and non-therapeutic exposures, including accidental ingestion by children, and environmental and occupational exposures.Unintentional poisonings often involve exploratory...
116
Types of Toxins01:36

Types of Toxins

Humans continually engage with an environment rich in potentially harmful chemicals. These are introduced to our bodies through inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact. These chemicals exist in various forms, such as air and environmental pollutants, agricultural chemicals, organic solvents, and heavy metals.
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...
3.6K
Prevention of Further Absorption of Poison01:14

Prevention of Further Absorption of Poison

In cases of acute poisoning, the primary objective is to prevent further absorption of the toxic substance into the body. Immediate interventions using various decontamination techniques targeting the gastrointestinal (GI) tract can achieve this. Decontamination is crucial to prevent poison from entering the systemic circulation, which involves washing affected areas with water and mild soap and removing contaminated clothing. Once external decontamination is done, attention must be turned to...
1.4K
Pharmaceutical Poisoning: Treatment Strategies01:26

Pharmaceutical Poisoning: Treatment Strategies

Treatment strategies for poisoning are a critical aspect of emergency medicine, focusing on preventing the absorption of toxins and enhancing their elimination. When a poisoning incident occurs, the first response is to halt exposure and decontaminate the patient, particularly through gastrointestinal (GI) methods if the poison was ingested.Gastrointestinal Decontamination Techniques:Activated charcoal is the cornerstone of GI decontamination. It works through adsorption, binding the toxin to...
250
Anticholinesterase Agents: Poisoning and Treatment01:26

Anticholinesterase Agents: Poisoning and Treatment

Anticholinesterases, also known as cholinesterase inhibitors, work by blocking the breakdown of acetylcholine, leading to its accumulation in the synaptic cleft. This accumulation indirectly enhances both muscarinic and nicotinic actions. These agents are classified as reversible or irreversible based on their mechanism of action.     
Irreversible agents form a strong bond with the cholinesterase enzyme, making it inactive. The breakdown of the phosphorylated enzyme is...
1.9K
Drug Toxicity: Overview01:00

Drug Toxicity: Overview

Drug toxicity quantifies the harm a compound causes to an organism, varying by dose and potentially impacting whole systems or specific organs like the liver. Toxic reactions may arise from venomous insect or spider bites, with effects ranging from mild symptoms to severe outcomes such as brain damage or death. Common forms of acute poisoning include ethanol intoxication and overdose of pain or fever medications, with substances like GHB and heroin being particularly lethal at doses close to...
279