Pediatric plant exposures in Germany, 1998-2004

Introduction. Each year, 80,000 to 100,000 calls to the Poison Information Centres (PIC) concern pediatric exposures in Germany. Plant exposures are the fourth most common category, accounting for 22% of pediatric exposures. Methods. Information on plant exposures in children (0-14 years) was collected from annual reports of German PIC. The severity of pediatric plant exposures was classified using the number of ingestions and a calculated hazard factor. Results. A total of 58,641 cases involving 248 different plant genera were reported from 1998 to 2004. Most plant exposures were not associated with clinical effects at time of call, but 9.6% of cases had noticeable effects, including 0.4% classified as moderate and major effect. Conclusions. The majority of plant genera have low hazard factors. Most severe poisoning (highest hazard factors and exposures) in children involved Brugmansia, Laburnum, Phaseolus, and Thuja.