Almost 300 cases of children consuming hand sanitiser in 2020

In 2020, the National Poisons Information Centre got 296 calls about children consuming hand sanitiser. File Picture: Pexels

There were nearly 300 calls to the National Poisons Information Centre last year about children consuming hand sanitiser.

There were also hundreds of calls about kids taking alcohol products and bleach.

The National Poisons Information Centre (NPIC) received almost 11,400 calls last year, relating to human cases.

According to Freedom of Information figures, almost half of the calls related to children under four.

Paracetemol was the common household product consumed by children, accounting for over 1,000 calls.

Hand sanitiser has become an essential item over the past year, due to the pandemic and in 2020, the centre got 296 calls about children consuming the product.

Dr Paddy Fitzpatrick, consultant in paediatric emergency medicine with Children's Health Ireland, said cleaning agents can cause serious damage to children if they consume them.

He said that they have seen corrosive injuries to the mouth and windpipe and sometimes cleaning agents can be aspirated or can end up in the lungs causing significant respiratory and chest symptoms.

"In sufficient quantities, depending on the toxicity of the product, they can lead to very serious side effects including neurological side effects and occasionally it can be fatal," said Dr Fitzpatrick.

The centre got 131 calls about children consuming dishwasher tablets last year and 93 relating to the consumption of firelighters.

Another worrying trend, according to Dr Fitzpatrick, is the number of children attending the hospital after consuming cannabis jellies.

This year, 10 children have been admitted to one hospital after eating cannabis products and getting poisoned.

Dr Fitzpatrick has warned they can have devastating consequences for children.

"We have seen children that have had seizures, we have seen children in comas and children who have required intensive care unit treatment."

Edible cannabis jellies are becoming more widely available in Ireland despite the fact that they are illegal.