Colorado State University Extension
SafeFood Rapid Response Network
SAFEFOOD NEWS - Spring 1998 - Vol 2 / No. 3
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Iron Toxicity in Children
Accidental iron overdose is a leading cause of poisoning deaths in children under 6 in the United States. Almost 17% of children's deaths reported to poison control centers between 1988 and 1992 were due to iron poisoning, compared to 12% between 1984 and 1987. Supplements involved in the poisonings range from non-prescription daily multivitamin/mineral pills for children to prescription iron for pregnant women.
New FDA regulations took effect in July 1997, which require all iron-containing drugs and dietary supplements to carry a warning about the risk of iron poisoning in young children. Caregivers of children need to be educated and/or reminded about the importance of keeping iron supplements out of the reach of children. It is also wise to educate children themselves as they may visit a household where care is not taken in keeping medicines and supplements out of reach. Note that some children who consumed as few as 5 iron-containing tablets have been poisoned. Additional points FDA wants consumers to know about accidental iron poisoning in children are
- Poisoned children can face both immediate and long-term problems.
- Within minutes or hours of swallowing iron tablets, children may experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and gastrointestinal bleeding, which can progress to shock, coma, and death.
- A child who appears to recover from the initial problems may experience severe gastrointestinal bleeding, lethargy, liver damage, heart failure, and coma 12 hours to 2 days later.
- Three to six weeks after the poisoning, a child may develop gastrointestinal obstruction and more extensive liver damage.
Parents are advised to contact a doctor or local poison control center immediately if their child has accidentally swallowed a product that contains iron.
Source: U.S. FDA Backgrounder, Preventing Iron Poisoning in Children, January 1997.
Updated Monday, August 29, 2011
