Chemistry set chemicals: an evaluation of their toxic potential

KM, a 14-year-old female packed 3 empty Sudafed SA capsules with 3 parts sodium chloride and 1 part cobalt chloride obtained from her brother's chemistry set. Following this, she ingested all 3 capsules. While the child had an uneventful hospital course, cobalt serum levels drawn 12 and 22 hr post-ingestion were measured at 7.8 micrograms/dL and 0.7 micrograms/dL, respectively. Due to the limited amount of data on the toxicity of cobalt chloride and the nature of the exposure, the case prompted a review of the potential toxicity of chemistry set chemicals available to consumers. The contents of 3 chemistry sets were evaluated. Each contained either 28, 14, or 9 chemicals. A total of 38 different chemicals were weighted and evaluated to determine whether the amount contained represented a potentially toxic or lethal dose to a 2-year-old, 12 kg child. Fifty-three percent of the chemicals evaluated contained quantities sufficient to result in toxicity. Thirteen percent of chemicals contained potentially lethal quantities, while 18% were considered non-toxic. Sixteen percent of the chemicals could not be evaluated due to lack of data in the literature. Only one chemistry set utilized child resistant closures. However, 65% of all potentially toxic chemicals and 100% of potentially lethal chemicals had appropriate first aid instructions.