A toddler from Drozdów in Łódź Voivodeship was airlifted to a hospital in a life‑threatening condition after swallowing rat poison, prompting firefighters to urge parents to store all chemicals securely.
The toddler poisoned by rodenticide
According to TVP3 Łódź, on Monday 11 August before 5 p.m., a two‑year‑old boy from Drozdów in the Łęczyca County of the Łódź Voivodeship was found in a life‑threatening condition after swallowing rat poison. Three fire‑fighting units were dispatched and the child was airlifted to a hospital by a rescue helicopter.
Firefighters urged parents to keep all chemicals in the most secure, inaccessible places. “Children are very curious about the world,” the firefighters wrote in a Facebook post.
Series of deadly poisonings
A reminder of the series of rodenticide poisonings among children last year: on 6 November, parents brought their 2 ½‑year‑old son to the Olsztyn Children’s Hospital with poisoning symptoms; the child died the same day. A three‑year‑old girl in the area of Grodzisk Wielkopolski died after exposure to phosphine from a rodenticide. A two‑year‑old boy in Tomaszów Lubelski also died after his home’s basement had rodenticide residue.
Rodenticides release lethal phosphine
Rodenticides typically come in pellet form, emitting phosphine when they come into contact with moisture. Andrzej Chodkowski, head of the State Plant Protection and Seed Inspection, emphasized that rodenticides release lethal phosphine when exposed to water or steam. “Only trained personnel should handle them, and protective gear should be used,” he said.
