Into the mouths of babes
-
- June
- 6
We had a scare yesterday. While I was at work and my mother was watching my daughter, she somehow got a hold of a piece of what I would call a hunk of cast iron (I’m really not sure what kind of metal it was). It was about the size of a Jolly Rancher and it was a shimmering charcoal color.
Anyway, while playing behind the chair (maybe it fell off the furniture) she must have found it and into the mouth it went. Fortunately, my mother noticed her swishing something around in her mouth and held her down while my aunt swept it out. And thankfully too, my daughter likes to hide things in her cheeks like a chipmunk before swallowing.
I haven’t stopped thinking about the whole experience. Coincidentally, last week while reporting on a story on lead I’m working on, Putnam County health officials relayed this story about a four-year-old boy from Minneapolis who perished after ingesting a heart-shaped charm that consisted of 99.1 percent lead. His blood-lead level was reported to be 180 ug/dL one day before he died.
This story and my daughter’s near-catastrophe shows me how easily accidents can happen and how even the best of vigilance can sometimes fall short. I guess all we can do is try our best to stay safe!!!
This entry was posted
on Friday, June 6th, 2008 at 3:18 pm by Marcela Rojas.
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