Answers to Quiz: Facts about Poisonings

1. A.
Young children are naive and curious, so special precautions are needed.

2. C.
Many plants in and around the home can be toxic to children or pets, including philodendron. It's best to keep all plants out of the reach of young children. For young children, vitamins with iron supplements are very dangerous. Infant medication may be more potent so it can be administered in smaller doses.

3. A.
Poisonings by drugs, medicinal and biological substances represented 90 percent of hospitalizations. The most common medications include tranquillizers, antidepressants and acetaminophen.

4. C.
Out of 28,581 hospital admissions for poisoning, the 25 to 44 age group accounted for 42.8 percent. Of these, 78 percent were classified as suicide or self-inflicted.

5. D.
The majority of serious self-inflicted injuries are suicide attempts.

Reference:
Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) National Trauma Registry Bulletin: Poisoning Injury Hospitalizations in Canada, 1999/2000. Toronto (ON): 2002.