More than 300 people were poisoned after eating laundry pods last year

LAUNDRY DETERGENT CAPSULES were the most common household item responsible for inquiries to the National Poisons Information Center (NPIC) last year.

The center received 3,305 poisoning-related inquiries in 2019, of which 324 were related to cleaning sachets or laundry pills and capsules.

The NPIC also received hundreds of inquiries about liquid bleach (183), disinfectants, antiseptics, and disinfectants (125), dishwasher tablets (123), and fire lighters (98).

The figures are contained in the centre’s annual report, which is released today and is based on data collected from inquiries from members of the public, healthcare professionals and others.

The center is responsible for providing information to healthcare professionals to assist them in the management of acute poisoning, and also administers the Poisons Public Information Line for members of the public.

Last year there was an increase of 10.5% in visits to the center, with 11,835 consultations from health professionals and citizens in 2019.

Almost half (5,830) of those visits involved medications, with paracetamol, ibuprofen, multivitamins, the anxiety medication sertraline, and aspirin being the most common involved.

Approximately 60% of inquiries are also related to incidents involving children under the age of 10, and those between the ages of one and four account for 45% of all inquiries.

Another 153 cases were followed up due to the severity, potential severity, or unusual nature of their symptoms. Of these, 11 patients died, three patients developed permanent conditions, and 23 patients developed short-term conditions.

However, the majority of these cases (96 patients) had made a full recovery when followed up.

NPIC Clinical Director Edel Duggan noted that more than 90% of inquiries involved an incident that occurred in the home, and said it was vital that people were aware of common elements that could result in poisoning.

“As people will be spending more time at home than ever in 2020, we all need to be aware of household items that could affect children, especially younger children who may not recognize the danger of these products, ”he said.

He added that the line was open seven days a week between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., and urged those seeking urgent advice outside of these hours to contact their GP or the hospital emergency department.