CPSC Proposes Child Safety Packaging on Nose and Eye Drops

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Consumer Product Safety Commission looks out for the health and welfare of Americans. They are considering child resistant packaging on nasal sprays which may harm children.

Newport Beach, Calif., January 31, 2013 - (PressReleasePoint) -Many people suffer from allergies daily and treat them using nose sprays and eye drops easily bought off the shelf in any drug store. Be careful of how you store these products because they could be deadly if swallowed by children, warns the Food and Drug Administration. In response to this risk, the Consumer Product Safety Commission proposed a rule to require child-resistant packaging on the over-the-counter nose and eye drops that could be deadly if improperly applied.

Some of the most popular brands that would be affected by the rule include Visine, Mucinex and Sudafed branded eye drops and nasal sprays. However, the rule would require any formulas that include the active ingredients tetrahydrozoline, naphazoline and oxymetazoline to make child proof packages. All three chemicals are part of the imidazolines family.

Between 1997 and 2009, there were 6,600 children under 5-years-old who were injured by ingesting the sprays or drops. They aren’t dangerous when applied to the proper area of the body, like eyes or nose, but are poisonous in small doses otherwise. These products are easily opened, found in many medicine cabinets and may not be on the radar for parents concerned about dangerous products because they come in such small packages.

Children who have ingested one of these imidazolines will begin exhibiting symptoms as quickly as within an hour. They may have trouble breathing properly, have a slowed heart rate and could lose consciousness. These are serious symptoms that could be life-threatening and require hospitalization in order to recover. Typically, the symptoms peak about eight hours after ingestion and should resolve by 36 hours.

Until the safety packaging rule is approved, parents of young children can take steps to prevent accidental poisonings from these products. Firstly, make sure that these medicines are kept out of reach. That should extend to guests who may have the products in pockets or bags. Then, discourage children from mimicry by taking medicines out of view from children. Basically, follow the rule of “out of sight out of mind” to keep children safe.