Lois Lee, MD, MPH works in Children’s Emergency Department Injury Prevention Program
Working in a busy urban emergency department, I often see children with injuries that could have been prevented. One infrequent but real hazard is glass mercury thermometers. Aside from the mercury, we’ve seen children injured by breakage of the glass — either while their temperature is being taken or when the child (or a sibling) is playing with them. This requires us to expose them to radiation from x-rays and CT scans to look for any retained glass. Some children even require minor surgery to remove parts of the thermometer (glass or wires) from their mouth, rectum or ear. It can be a traumatic experience for a young child to have these pieces removed. Full story »
