Reported Multiple Victim Poisonings of Children

Abstract

Review of the Duke Poison Control Center records for 1977 revealed that 5.3% of poisoned children were involved in multiple victim incidents. Most of the multiple victim poisonings were composed of two children and none included more than four children. Multiple victim poisonings tended to occur in older children and preferentially involved plants, foods, and pesticides when compared with single victim episodes. The multiple victim poisonings were also more likely to occur during the spring and autumn of the year.