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From grandma’s purse to the garage, there are pills, ingredients and products that can be lethal if taken or swallowed by a child. What are the most dangerous products that may be within arm’s reach of your child at this very moment?

checkMD sat down with Doctor Jim Keany, MD, an emergency physician at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County, and he highlighted the following as the most deadly and dangerous products for children:

1) Oil of Wintergreen—Oil of Wintergreen is commonly used as a “natural” topical pain reliever or to treat eczema. Of extreme danger, Oil of Wintergreen contains salicylic, also known as methyl salicylate, which is the base component of aspirin. One tablespoon of salicylic is equal to 22 adult aspirins, and as little as 4 milliliters has proven fatal to children.

2) Camphor—Found in products like Vick’s VapoRub, Ben-Gay, Absorbine and Tiger Balm, it has been known to cause seizures, comas and respiratory depression. Camphor was once found in concentrations up to 20% in products, but the good news is that products are only allowed to contain an 11% concentration of camphor today, which has led to a dramatic reduction in fatalities. However, parents should still be VERY aware of where products that contain camphor are stored.

3) Methanol—Found in windshield wiper fluid, carburetor cleaner, and solvents, methanol, if ingested even in small amounts, is extremely dangerous. Methanol vapor and absorption through skin are also common ways of methanol poisoning. Methanol, in as small amounts as 4 milliliters can cause blindness, and 88 to 150 milliliters can cause respiratory or heart failure. In general, a ½ milliliter of methanol per pound of bodyweight will cause death.

4) Ethylene Glycol—Ethylene Glycol is found in many household products like antifreeze and paints, but the kicker is that it tastes very sweet and odorless, and we know that children like very sweet things. Drinking ethylene glycol can result in the damage of many organs including the brain, kidneys and liver. As little as four fluid ounces can kill an average sized man, so imagine what a teaspoon can do to a toddler.

5) Grandma’s  Purse – We know that grandma always has a large purse filled with sweets for her grandkids, but grandma’s purse is also usually left unattended, and may contain quinidine for irregular heartbeat, calcium channel blockers (like Norvasc/Procardia) or Clonidine for high blood pressure, tricyclic anti-depressants like Elavil or Pamelor, Glipizide for diabetes, Lomotil for diarrhea, or any number of narcotics for pain (codeine, Vicodan, Percocet). All can send a toddler to the intensive care unit with one pill. So make sure that after grandma gives a child a sweet, she puts her purse somewhere out of reach so your kids don’t mistake a painkiller for a gumdrop.

6) Iron Supplements—Many adults take iron supplements, but only a few pills, which are usually sugar coated and look strikingly like candy, can cause devastating and irreversible intestinal bleeding in children. Iron supplements ingested by children carry a high rate of death along with them so be very cautious about where you store this supplement.

7) Toys and Balloons—Toys, not all toys, but ESPECIALLY those with small, round, smooth parts are horrible for children under six. As all parents know, small parts inevitably make their way near kids’ mouths. Those that are small, round and smooth are easily ingestible and can go down a child’s windpipe like a grape. If lodged in the airway, a small part can kill a child in under ten minutes, before they can even make it to a hospital. While not a major child killer, about 10 deaths a year, latex balloons are a high choke risk as kids are attracted by their bright colors, and frequently try to blow them up often leading to them inadvertently sucking them in.

To listen to Jim Keany’s podcast visit www.jim.md.