ProPublica has been doing a lot of work relative to acetaminophen. The drug has been very useful in relieving pain and reducing fevers. But, like most things in life, it is not perfect. If taken in large doses, the drug can damage your liver and even kill you.
ProPublica's latest report discusses the dangers the drug presents to children who may accidentally drink too much of the liquid form of the drug. The federal government estimates that in 2011 74,000 kids came to the ER because of drinking the drug; about 1 in 5 had to be hospitalized for further evaluation. About 20 children died each year from such accidents.
These accidents could be prevented by use of a type of safety valve called a flow restrictor. It slows the release of fluid, providing a backup if caregivers leave child-resistant caps unfastened or kids pry them off. The device is now part of infants’ and children’s acetaminophen. However, kids can still get at other pediatric or adult drugs, use of which accounts for roughly one-quarter of kids’ ER visits for drug accidents.
Also,some companies that have placed flow restrictors on acetaminophen-only kids’ products have not put them on bottles of pediatric cough and cold syrup that contain the same amount of acetaminophen. Why government agencies have not acted to prevent such use is difficult to understand.
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