Pest Control Poisons Sicken 10,000 Children Every Year

An article published by the Scientific American reports that rat and mouse poison endangers as many as 10,000 children every year in the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), according to the article, has known for decades that access to these super-toxic poisons is too easy for children.

Many of the calls made to the U.S. poison control center hotlines concerning children under the age of three are related to rat and mouse poisoning accidents. The EPA reports rat and mouse poison accidents are the leading cause of pesticide-related visits to health care facilities for children under the age of six and the second leading cause of hospitalization. Minority children living below the poverty line are especially at risk for these types of accidents.

The Effects of Rat and Mouse Poisoning on Children

Rat poisoning has several types of ingredients that work together to kill rodents. If ingested by humans, these substances can be lethal–especially when children are involved. The amount of time it takes for symptoms of child rat and mouse poisoning to reveal themselves generally depends upon the amount of poisoning that is ingested. Some people may feel the effects of rat and mouse poisoning even if it has not been ingested because one of the components of this toxic product, known as warfarin, is also used in medicine as a blood thinner.

Some symptoms that result from child rat and mouse poisoning includes:

  • Bleeding – it is not uncommon for sudden nose bleeds that are difficult to control to result from rat and mouse poisoning;
  • Bruising easily – because of the blood-thinning ingredient, a person who has been in contact with rat and mouse poison may bruise easily (even when in contact with normal everyday items) and cuts make take longer to heal;
  • Stomach issues – nausea, vomiting and diarrhea (sometimes blood-streaked) are all symptoms of rat poisoning as is abdominal cramping and indigestion;
  • Other symptoms – lesser known symptoms of rat and mouse poisoning include fever, seizures, hair loss, lethargy, nerve damage, chills, restlessness, dementia and nasal complications.

Who can you sue?  Legal Liability in Child Rat and Mouse Poisoning Accidents

A negligence action can be brought against any person or business that has a duty to exercise reasonable care. Children lack maturity and therefore can not be expected to fully comprehend all the hazards that surround them. As a result, children can not be responsible for their injuries. When the business or person entrusted with a child’s care (babysitter, relative, grandparent, day care, child care, school) fails to properly supervise and care for a child and that failure results in a child’s injury they can be held liable for the child’s injuries.

Any person, facility or business that has been entrusted with the child’s care and safety may be found responsible for not taking measures to prevent child accidents. If your child suffered a fatality or injury because of a careless or negligent caregiver then you may be able to seek compensation for the injuries that could have easily been avoided if proper care and attention had been exercised.

Negligent building owners can also be responsible for apartment complex rat and mouse poisoning accidents. Landlords, residential apartment complex owners and owners of duplexes, multi-family homes and other rental properties will often perform rodent control themselves or hire unlicensed and unqualified workers to treat the property with rodent poison. Since they are not trained or licensed in pest control they might place the poison in a location easily accessible to children or they may use more  poison than is needed. The more poison that there is around the premises the greater the chances of child finding it and swallowing it.

Boston Area Personal Injury Attorneys With Experience You Can Count On

Initial Consultations Are Always Free – No Fee Unless We Recover For You

If your child has been injured as a result of a rat and mouse poisoning accident, contact the attorneys at The Law Offices of Gerald J. Noonan today. Child poisoning injuries can be serious; oftentimes the symptoms go undetected for quite some time. This firm has a track record of helping the families of child victims for decades, in all types of cases, including poisoning accidents.

Whether the injury or death is a result of negligence, product liability, premises liability or any other related issues, these skilled lawyers are here to help. Don’t try to navigate this difficult time alone. No matter where you are located, we are just a phone call away. Call our law offices today to schedule a free no-obligation case review and consultation at (508) 588-0422 or click the link below to use our Free Case Evaluation Form.

Our Boston Child Rat Poisoning Attorneys assist clients throughout all of Massachusetts including, but not limited to, those in the following counties, cities and towns: Plymouth County, Brockton, Plymouth, Bridgewater, Marshfield, Hingham, Duxbury, Wareham, Abington, Rockland, Whitman, Hanson, Holbrook, Middleborough; Norfolk County including Quincy, Stoughton, Dedham, Weymouth, Braintree, Avon, Holbrook, Randolph, Canton, Sharon, Brookline, Franklin; Bristol County including New Bedford, Fall River, Taunton, Attleboro, Westport, Dartmouth, Mansfield, Easton, Raynham, Lakeville, Norton; Cape Cod, Hyannis, Falmouth, Barnstable and the Greater Boston area including Cambridge, Somerville, Medford, Everett, Lawrence, Lynn, Revere, Dorchester, Roxbury.