Comments on: Friday Mental Massage: The Toxicity Edition

By: Da Goddess

Da Goddess — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:13:52 +0000

Thank God the Boy was okay after the Tylenol incident! And those child-proof lids? That only means that CHILDREN can open them and adults can’t.

By: Maudie

Maudie — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 23:14:25 +0000

Tip: stick a piece of tape at the level the bottle is, or mark it with a marker.

Do the same to the bottles in the liquor cabinet… don’t wait ’til his 13…

I discovered at the tender age of two that aspirin isn’t candy. Ate the whole bottle…

By: Little Willie

Little Willie — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:36:31 +0000

Fortunately, figuring out the dangers of poisoning is mostly just math.

Children’s Tylenol = 160 mg Acetamenophin per 5 mL

4 ounce bottle = ~118 mL

3/4 bottle = ~90 mL

90 ml * 160mg/5ml = 2880 mg Acetamenophin

For single, large dose ingestions in the healthy child, the minimum toxic dose is 150-200 mg/kg body weight. Most toxicologists agree more on the 200 mg value.

Little Otis weighs about 40lbs

1 kg = 2.2 lbs

40 / 2.2 = 18.2 kg

18.2 kg * 200 mg/kg = 3640 mg

So, Little Otis was about 800mg short of the Minimum Toxic Dose. Of course, this is assuming that all of our guestimations were correct about how much he drank, how much was in the bottle, how much he weighs, etc. Most parents tend to overestimate the amount ingested, so he should be good.

As an aside, everyone should know that Tylenol ingestion is one of the most serious accidental and intentional poisonings encountered by physicians. Of all the things out there that can kill you, it ranks about as high as they come. It’s kinda strange that you need a prescription to get Viagra, but only a pulse and a couple bucks to buy one of the deadliest drugs on the market.

By: Astin

Astin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:21:05 +0000

I think you’ll like the TSO. You surely know their one big hit. Think Carol of the Bells on electric guitar (Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24).

By: Bam-Bam

Bam-Bam — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:30:33 +0000

When not-so-mini-Peb’s was still very-mini, I turned my back on her in the tub long enough to grab a fresh towel just behind me. About a minute after starting to dry her hair, I noticed the shampoo bottle on it’s side and empty. (think hotel travel size)

While not appearing completely rabid, there was sufficient frothing at the mouth for me to figure out what had happened.

My keen knowledge of all things fathery told me, to wash down the shampoo with as much water as she could drink. According to the Doctor, I made an excellent decision too, based on the gentleness of the brand in use!

The panic and stress finally subsided, with the last of the “bubble” farts a few short days later.

By: AgSweep

AgSweep — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:26:11 +0000

You’ve met my 23 yr old strapping son. Long story short, I was hanging laundry in the basement (cause we were poor and didn’t have a dryer). Drew, crawling, not yet walking, sitting under the clotheslines playing. I look down to check on him and he has a can of liquid wrench in his mouth. I grab it, it has no cap. Swallowed? I still don’t know. Drs, poision control. No ill effects. I still get an adrenline rush just thinking about this. Stuff happens in a blink of an eye. When your boy is 23 you will understand that it is only the very, very lucky parents who make it through unscathed.