聖誕節安全警告：水珠、紐扣電池和磁鐵對兒童構成危險

英國皇家急診醫學院 (RCEM) 對作為玩具銷售的水珠發出了「安全警告」。

Water beads, which are marketed as toys, have been linked to child deaths overseas and to “serious harm” to children in the UK, according to a safety flash issued by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM).

根據英國皇家急診醫學學院 (RCEM) 發布的安全提示，作為玩具銷售的水珠與海外兒童死亡以及對英國兒童的「嚴重傷害」有關。

The beads can be used on their own, put in stress balls, sensory toys or art kids. They are also sold as home decor or vase fillers.

這些珠子可以單獨使用，也可以放入壓力球、感官玩具或藝術兒童中。它們也作為家居裝飾品或花瓶填充物出售。

The beads start small, only a few millimetres wide, but can grow to 400 times their size in around 36 hours when exposed to liquid.

這些珠子一開始很小，只有幾毫米寬，但當暴露在液體中時，可以在大約 36 小時內增長到其尺寸的 400 倍。

If they are swallowed when small, they can expand inside a child and cause bowel obstruction – which needs surgery to remove.

如果它們在很小的時候被吞下，它們可能會在兒童體內膨脹並導致腸梗阻，需要手術切除。

They are not visible on X-rays.

它們在 X 射線上不可見。

The safety alert has been issued to emergency doctors to make sure they know what to look out for while working, but the College also wants to warn parents and carers of the dangers.

安全警報已向急診醫生發出，以確保他們知道在工作時要注意什麼，但學院也想警告家長和照顧者註意危險。

The RCEM safety flash also highlights concerns about the potential for children to swallow button or coin batteries and magnets.

RCEM 安全閃光也強調了對兒童吞嚥紐扣或硬幣電池和磁鐵的可能性的擔憂。

The College said that these gifts could pose a danger to children and vulnerable adults if swallowed.

學院表示，如果吞下這些禮物，可能會對兒童和弱勢成年人造成危險。

Button and coin cell batteries can lodge in the food pipe of young children causing serious harm or death due to a chemical reaction which erodes tissue.

紐帶電池和紐扣電池可能會卡在幼兒的食道中，因腐蝕組織的化學反應而造成嚴重傷害或死亡。

Indeed a Health Services Safety Investigations Body published a report in 2019 which details the death of a three-year-old girl who swallowed a coin battery without her parents knowing.

事實上，健康服務安全調查機構在 2019 年發布了一份報告，詳細介紹了一名三歲女孩在父母不知情的情況下吞下紐扣電池而死亡的情況。

Meanwhile, a previous warning from the College highlights how children can come to severe harm after swallowing super-strong magnets.

同時，該學院先前發出的警告強調了兒童在吞食超強磁鐵後可能會受到嚴重傷害。

They can be in different parts of the intestine but come together, causing injury and even leading to perforation of the bowel, which requires urgent surgery.

它們可能位於腸道的不同部位，但卻聚集在一起，造成損傷，甚至導致腸道穿孔，需要緊急手術。

Dr Salwa Malik, vice president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said, “Any one of these three objects could be found under your tree or in a stocking this festive season, hidden in gifts that are intended to bring joy to a child or vulnerable person, but which, if swallowed, could result in critical illness and the need for emergency medical treatment.

皇家急診醫學院副院長薩爾瓦·馬利克博士說：「在這個節日里，這三件物品中的任何一件都可能出現在你的樹下或襪子裡，藏在旨在給孩子或孩子帶來歡樂的禮物中。

“As an emergency medicine doctor, I have seen parents holding their child’s hand and watching over them while they lay on a bed in an Emergency Department, in need of urgent care because they have ingested one of these items.

「作為一名急診科醫生，我見過父母握著孩子的手，看著他們躺在急診室的床上，因為他們吞下了其中一種物品，需要緊急護理。

“As a parent, I can imagine how utterly terrifying and a traumatic that would be to go through – for a mum, dad, grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, brother, sister and of course, the child themselves.

「身為家長，我可以想像，對於媽媽、爸爸、奶奶、爺爺、阿姨、叔叔、兄弟、姊妹，當然還有孩子自己來說，這將是多麼可怕和痛苦的經歷。

“Having seen the effects first hand, which can be devastating and detrimental, we are asking people to please think twice about the dangers these pose while selecting and gifting presents this season.

「在親眼目睹了這些影響可能是毀滅性和有害的之後，我們要求人們在本季選擇和贈送禮物時三思而後行。

“We are also raising awareness within emergency departments by circulating these safety flashes to ensure our colleagues in emergency departments are aware and informed about the dangers and equipped with the best clinical guidance to treat a child, or vulnerable person should they seek help after swallowing these objects.”

「我們也透過傳播這些安全警示來提高急診科內部的認識，以確保急診科的同事了解並了解危險，並配備最好的臨床指導來治療兒童或弱勢群體，如果他們在吞下這些後尋求幫助的話。