B.C. drug centre reveals numbers poisoned, including thousands of children, in new dashboard

VANCOUVER, B.C., — As British Columbia observes National Poison Prevention Week, the BC Drug and Poison Information Centre (DPIC) is bringing awareness to the number of children who are poisoned in B.C. 

Since 2012, out of 400,000 cases of poisoning reported in B.C., over 184,000 involve children under five – representing 451 cases per every 10,000 children, according to a new public DPIC dashboard.

It says 30 per cent of all the province’s cases of poisoning involve children, four per cent of which occur in the northeast region.

The northeast, which includes communities such as Fort St. John, Dawson Creek and Taylor, has recorded 7,546 total cases of poisoning since 2012. 

That’s 1,091 cases for every 10,000 in the northeast. 

Dr. Jesse Godwin, associate medical lead at DPIC, says children are at larger risk for poisoning due to their eagerness to explore new things.

“A lot of the poisonings happen because children are of that exploration part of their lives where they want to be curious,” Godwin said.  “They want to see what things are. In younger children, there’s a lot of hand, mouth behaviours, exploring the environment. Children also don’t often have the cognitive capacity to distinguish between something that might be harmful or not.”

Godwin said children often lack the ability to tell the difference between brightly coloured chemicals and a glass of juice. 

According to the DPIC, causes of poisonings among children include:

• Prescription and non-prescription medications, including vitamins and natural health products
• Cannabis products, including edibles
• Cigarettes, nicotine and vape liquids
• Alcohol
• Household cleaners, as well as laundry detergent and bleach
• Cosmetic products such as nail polish, mouthwash and creams 
• Car supplies like antifreeze and windshield washer fluid

Godwin urges parents to take numerous steps to ensure their children are safe from unintentional poisonings. 

“The most important thing is storage of medications,” Godwin said. “That means keeping chemicals and medications in their original packaging, preferably those would be children resistant packages that they’re stored in. Keeping them up high and out of reach of children, as well as out of sight.” 

Godwin says the DPIC receives around 28,000 calls each year. 

Anyone who has been exposed to hazardous materials or substances, or who believes they have overdosed on medication, can call the poison centre at 1-800-567-8911. 

The centre is available 24/7 and handles a wide range of calls, including intentional drug overdoses, accidental medication errors and venomous animal bites and stings. 

National Poison Prevention Week runs from March 15th to 21st.