Manitoba centre says calls about poisoning of young children on the increase

Silica gel is most commonly encountered in everyday life as beads in a small (typically 2 x 3 cm) paper packet. In this form, it is used as a desiccant to control local humidity to avoid spoilage or degradation of some goods.

WINNIPEG—The Manitoba Poison Centre says the number of calls they’re receiving regarding children are on the rise.

The centre fields more than 5,000 calls a year and 45 per cent of them relate to children five years old and younger.

The top five poisonous products for children are over-the-counter pain medications, laundry detergent pods, perfume, gummy vitamins mistaken for candy and silica gel packets that come with toys.

Centre staff say keeping hazardous materials on a high shelf isn’t enough.

They say such items need to be locked up and out of sight.

They also advise parents to take precautions not based on their child’s mobility today but based on their potential mobility in the future.