Friday evening I received an email from my cousin in Florida and the subject read “Water Bottle – dangerous for kids“. I didn’t think too much about it because I did not see any details from my phone and my family is notorious for sending jokes via email.
This morning I opened the attachment and pretty much freaked out. This is definitely NOT A JOKE.
I am posting this story on behalf of the child’s parents to spread the word and help prevent another life-threatening freak accident from a metal water bottle. I have removed the child’s real name to protect her privacy.
Surprisingly I Googled Metal Water Bottle Safety and Aluminum Water Bottle Safety and nothing comes up about this type of incident. It was definitely a freak accident but please help us spread the word so this does not happen to your child and we bring awareness to the manufacturers.
Metal Water Bottle Safety
Incident date: October 22, 2010
Situation: Patient – Jane Doe, Age 6
On Friday, Oct 22, 2010, at 11:45 am, Jane Doe, a first grader (Age 6), got her tongue stuck in a metal water bottle in the school cafeteria during lunch period at Saints Philip and James grade school in Exton, PA. The water bottle, a popular style, was distributed to her and her entire swim team as a gift earlier in the year.
The combination of suction forces and a screw-top edge inside the mouth of the bottle prevented her tongue from becoming dislodged. She was immediately rushed to Paoli Hospital. As her tongue continued to remain stuck, it swelled to a dangerous level and became discolored, causing potential airway blockage and permanent damage to the tongue muscle. The doctors continued to ask if she had a history of asthma, which would further complicate the situation. She did not have a history of asthma. She was then transported by helicopter to Dupont Children’s Hospital. The bottle was removed during emergency surgery. She was sedated and subjected to intubation.
It is now the afternoon of Oct 23, and she continues to be on intubation until the swelling level subsides to a non-life-threatening size.
From a concerned parent: Mr. Doe
At first, I thought this was a funny, minor accident when I got the call from school. But when I saw the gravity of the situation, it was no longer funny. These bottles are everywhere these days, particularly popular with children. I don’t want another single child to endure this life-threatening freak accident. My daughter was lucky. She is also not asthmatic, which would have complicated the situation even more.
Lesson learned for young children and parents – These types of bottles are very popular and seem to be in the hands of many children these days. Children are at a severe health risk if they stick their tongue in these types of bottles. Look at the following pictures to see why.
My husband and I discussed this incident over coffee this morning and here are some pointers for parents. We immediately noticed that this water bottle is an adult size.
1. Have a conversation with your kids. My oldest is 3 and I just showed her these photos and explained what happened. She understands and said to me “Your water bottle doesn’t have a cap.”
2. Only use metal water bottles that have a spout so your child is not drinking directly from the metal bottle.
3. Purchase kid size bottles which have a smaller opening. This is not full proof which is why you need the spout and explain this to your kids.
I tested my daughter’s small metal water bottle without the spout. My tongue has plenty of space even with the smaller opening. Using a spout seems to be the only way to prevent your tongue from getting stuck. The problem is spouts are plastic which is why “green” manufacturers are not using a spout.
If you have a resource for metal water bottles with non plastic spouts please post. Thanks!!
OMG, this same exact thing happened to my 8 year old daughter last month (September 2012). I would love to speak to the family of this child. The doctors here in Atlanta freaked out and had no clue how to handle the situation. The above pictures look identical to my daughters. I’m glad to see little Jane Doe is safe now.