Important Facts about Choking Hazards and Injuries
- Choking is the fourth leading cause of unintentional death in children under the age of 5.
- Children under age 5 are at greatest risk for choking injury and death.
- Toys, household items and foods can all be a choking hazard.
- The most common cause of nonfatal choking in young children is food.
- At least one child dies from choking on food every five days in the U.S., and more than 10,000 children are taken to a hospital emergency room each year for food-choking injuries.
- Toy manufacturers label toys for choking hazards and some food manufacturers voluntarily label food products as posing a potential choking risk; however, any food can present a choking risk.
- Education regarding choking risks, precautions to take in avoiding these risks, and known life saving procedures are necessary to eliminate senseless and tragic injuries and deaths caused by choking.
- Pediatricians, family practice physicians, health care workers, parents, grandparents, day care workers, school personnel, older children, siblings, babysitters and communities as a whole play a key role in the prevention of injuries and need to share information with caregivers to identify potential choking hazards.
- The size of a young child's trachea (windpipe) or breathing tube is approximately the size of a drinking straw in diameter. Imagine a piece of popcorn being lodged in this small area!
Check out these other helpful links
Important Facts about Choking Hazards
Choking Prevention & Precaution TIPS for PARENTS
List of Choking Hazards: Foods, Household Items and Toys
No comments:
Post a Comment