Many Young Children Treated in ED for Injuries From Personal Care Products

A steady and persistent number of personal care product-related injuries were reported for young children from 2002 to 2016, most often occurring among those aged <2 years, according to a study published online June 16 in Clinical Pediatrics.

Jordan Vajda, from Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis using data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System for children aged <5 years who were treated for a cosmetic-related injury in U.S. emergency departments from 2002 to 2016.

During the 15-year study period, an estimated 64,686 children were treated in emergency departments for cosmetic-related injuries. The researchers found that during the study period, the rate of children treated in emergency departments for these injuries did not significantly change (slope = 1.1 per 10,000 children per year; P = 0.95). Injuries were most often associated with nail care, hair care, skin care, and fragrance products (28.3, 27.0, 25.0, and 12.7 percent, respectively); poisoning was the most common diagnosis (86.2 percent), while chemical burns accounted for 13.8 percent of cases. Ingestion was the most common route of exposure (75.7 percent of all injuries). Children aged <2 years were most often injured (59.3 percent).

"These findings demonstrate the need for increased efforts and prevention messaging to reduce the burden of cosmetic injuries," the authors write. "Particularly, prevention efforts need to be age-specific to couple developmental milestones with corresponding cosmetic product exposures."

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