Abstract

Paediatric poisoning is a salient issue worldwide and also affects the USA. In past years, ingestion of household cleaners was the second leading cause of unintentional poisonings in children. All children are at risk for ingestions, although immigrant children may be at greater risk. The purpose of this study was to document child ingestion experiences from toxic household substances via semistructured interviews with immigrant Mexican mothers. Participants were recruited from a paediatric primary care practice in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas (N=35). Eighteen of 35 respondents (51%) reported that their child, nephew/niece or a friend's child had accidentally ingested a cleaning solution, gasoline or herbal remedy. Of those ingestions, 12 were reportedly from an alternative container, such as a juice box or soda bottle. Improper storage was the primary reason for ingestion. Culturally appropriate home visits and interventions are needed to better prevent ingestion in young children.