First aid information on many household products may be as dangerous as the poison itself. That's the warning today from the Utah Poison
Control Center, which is fielding calls almost once a week from frantic people reading outdated or misleading labels.
Science Specialist Ed Yeates takes a look.
The advice from poison control centers these days is not matching what some products say. In fact, some product labels are so bad, the centers are asking victims to call them first before following any labeled instructions.
Barbara Crouch, director of the Utah Poison Control Center, says, "We continually hear, probably once a week at least, from people who are reading something off the label that has incorrect, outdated, or in some cases fairly dangerous information."
Some examples: Insecticides and pesticides which contain chlorinated hydrocarbons.
This product says if necessary, give the victim one or two teaspoons of water, then insert the finger into the throat to induce repeated vomiting.
"We would never induce vomiting," Crouch says, "And we would absolutely never induce vomiting by sticking the finger down the throat."
The recommendation is a contradiction since in the paragraph above, the label says do not induce vomiting.
Another example: Household cleansers containing caustic or acidic compounds.
What really surprised the folks at Poison Control is many name brands have misleading or outdated information on the label.
A familiar cleanser says give the victim large quantities of water followed with egg whites and Milk of Magnesia.
"Certainly not first aid we subscribe to at all anymore," according to Crouch. "I can't ever remember recommending egg whites."
And Milk of Magnesia in someone with kidney problems is potentially dangerous. Also, the concoction itself could induce vomiting, which is not recommended.
How about the label on a bag of cement recommending giving the victim a vinegar solution to neutralize caustic side effects.
Crouch says, "The only problem is, neutralization is an exothermic reaction, meaning it creates heat, and the heat itself can create more tissue damage. So we don't do that anymore."
In addition to bad first aid information, Barbara Crouch showed us the latest misleading packaging, like a bottle of Gummy Bear multi-vitamins. To a kid, this is just pure candy, not a vitamin to overdose on.
Aug. 30, 2002
