Activated Charcoal (AC) has been used for many years in hospital emergency rooms for decontamination after the ingestion of certain poisons. The question of its safety in home use, for children, was the subject of a recently published study.

Several concerns regarding the home administration of Activated Charcoal included questions such as, could parents safely administer AC, and would children refuse to take it? An 18 month study seems to have put these concerns to rest.

Home administration was recommended in a total of 138 cases. It was actually given 115 times or 83% of the times suggested. There were no failures when parents administrated the AC at home. In particular, no aspiration (into the lungs) was reported. In the majority of the remaining cases, parents chose to have treatment in the emergency room.

In conclusion, the study strongly suggests that Activated Charcoal can be safely and quickly administered in the home by a parent. As you may recall, activated charcoal is typically used in poisonous ingestion’s when inducing vomiting is not safe. Typical cases include the ingestion of a corrosive chemical, or when a victim is too drowsy to safely vomit the material they swallowed. AC is only to be administered at the request of an MD or a representative of your local poison control center.

If you want to obtain Activated Charcoal, call your local pharmacy and make sure they have liquid charcoal, not the tablets. If you still can’t find it, call Save A Little Life as we do include it in our first-aid kits.