What To Do If Your Child Swallowed A Lead Fishing Sinker

Keeping your fishing lures out of the mouth and stomach of your child is necessary to prevent them from cutting themselves or getting sick. However, it is also possible for your child to ingest smaller lead sinkers and cause potential poisoning. In this scenario, you need to take steps to visit a pediatric specialist as soon as possible.

Lead Sinkers Can Poison Your Children

If your child doesn't choke on the sinker or vomit it up after swallowing it, there's a good chance that they could end up getting poisoned. While there is a safe level of lead exposure, the concentrated amount in a lead sinker is going to be well over that limit for your child.

In fact, studies have found that lead sinkers are a considerable environmental danger and that they kill fish and other wildlife all the time. Your child may suffer from similar symptoms, including nausea, confusion, agitation, and may even experience more severe problems.

Lead Poisoning Can Cause Mental Development Issues

As the lead sinker settles in your child's stomach, it may end up spreading lead throughout their system for an extended period. Unfortunately, your child's digestive system is never going to fully break it down. Thankfully, it will eventually pass it out – painfully – when she defecates, but the damage may be done.

Sadly, the lead poisoning she experiences in this situation might be enough to permanently stunt her mental growth. Even if she retains a high level of intelligence and can find a job, she might never reach her true potential. Therefore, it is critical to know how a pediatrician expert can help you in this situation.

Managing This Issue

Your immediate impulse when you see your child swallow a sinker is to induce vomiting. That is understandable but isn't always a great idea. For example, you might do it improperly and cause injury to your child. Instead, call a pediatric specialist and ask them what you should do.

In some instances, they might tell you to induce vomiting, especially if you caught them in the act of swallowing it. However, if some time passed and the sinker has settled in their stomach or intestines, surgery may be necessary by a pediatric specialist.

So if your child has swallowed a lead sinker and you're worried about them getting poisoned, immediately call your local pediatrician services. They will let you know if inducing vomiting is necessary or if you should bring them in for some type of surgery.