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American Academy of Pediatrics Want Warning Labels on Food that Pose a Child Choking Hazard

The American Academy of Pediatrics is reporting that every five days, at least one child in the US dies from choking accidents involving food. Now, the academy is calling on food manufacturers and the federal government to put into place a food labeling system that would warn parents that the food is a choking hazard.

The academy says choking is the number one cause of fatality among kids younger than age 15, with kids under age 5 at highest risk of choking. One reason for this is that kids in this age group don?t have all of their teeth. This can make it hard for them to grind the food down enough that they can easily swallow.

More Kid Choking Accident Facts:

? Over 10,000 kids end up in the emergency room every year because of choking accidents involving food.

? A 2002 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Study reports that about 100 kids a year die from food-related choking accidents.

? HealthyChildren.org, a Web site powered by pediatricians, says food is the most common cause of child choking injuries.

Food that is small enough to enter a child?s throat yet large enough to get stuck their, blocking the airway, can cause oxygen deprivation. If not alleviated quickly enough the obstruction can lead to a traumatic brain injury and even death.

Some foods that pose a high choking hazard risk include:

? Apples
? Peanuts
? Grapes
? Raw carrots
? Hot dogs. Considered by some pediatricians as the number one food choking hazard
? Certain candies

If your son or daughter was injured or died because of a food choking accident that the manufacturer could have prevented by designing/packaging their food product in a safer form or warning parents that about the choking hazard, you may have grounds for filing a Charlotte, North Carolina injuries to children lawsuit.

Pediatricians call for a choke-proof hot dog, USA Today, February 22, 2010

Labels urged for foods that can choke kids, CNN, February 22, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Choking Episodes Among Children, CDC

Food choking hazards and children: What parents need to know, Consumer Reports

Full post as published by North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog on February 24, 2010 (boomark / email).