My child ate a match. What should I do?
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The bottom line
Unintentionally swallowing a few match tips is not dangerous but would be expected to cause some minor irritation to the mouth and stomach. Swallowing a large number of matches can cause serious effects including damage to red blood cells and organs such as the kidneys and liver.
Prevention tips
Keep matches, lit or unlit, out of the sight and reach of children.
Discard used matches as soon as it is safe to do so.
Teach children to tell an adult when they find matches in their environment or in the hands of another child.
This really happened
The mother of a 16-month-old boy called her poison center because the boy was found sucking on a whole book of paper matches. No matches were missing from the book. He was fine and had been given water to drink, but she wanted to know if the boy needed to be taken to an emergency department. The poison center determined the boy could be watched at home. The mother was given a list of possible effects to observe for, such as irritation to the mouth or throat or vomiting. A few hours later, the poison center called back to check on him. The boy did not develop any effects, and an unnecessary trip to an emergency department was avoided.
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How do matches work?
Matches are made from small sticks of wood or cardboard coated on one tip with ignitable materials. The match tip is struck across a suitable surface to ignite the match. Typically, matches are packaged in books of 20 cardboard sticks or boxes containing varying quantities of wooden sticks. The two main classifications, based on the required strike surface, are strike-anywhere matches (sometimes called friction matches) and safety matches (sometimes called strike-on-box matches).
Strike-anywhere matches can be ignited by striking the tip on a hard, rough, and dry surface, such as a rock, brick, or hardened concrete. Safety matches will only ignite when struck against a specially prepared surface, which is usually found on the matchbook or box.
What are the chemicals in match tips?
Depending on the match type, the tips can contain potassium chlorate, potassium dichromate, sulfur, and phosphorus sesquisulfide. Friction and the resulting chemical reaction are responsible for the flame. Strike-anywhere matches contain all the necessary reactive chemicals on the tip of the wood stick. Safety matches place the phosphorus-containing chemical on the strike surface, which effectively eliminates the chance for spontaneous ignition.
What to do if your child swallowed a match
If you suspect someone has swallowed match tips, use the webPOISONCONTROL® online tool to get help, or call your poison center at 1-800-222-1222. Whether online or by phone, expert guidance is always free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day.
Are the chemicals in match tips poisonous?
Although fatal fires have happened when children play with matches, the main toxic concern results from swallowing the match tips. The wood or cardboard stick is generally considered nontoxic, although it could be a choking hazard. Toxic effects can occur with most of the chemicals on a match tip, but the most concerning substances are potassium chlorate and potassium dichromate.
Deliberately swallowing large numbers of matches can happen in self-harm attempts and in people with cautopyreiophagia, a condition that involves compulsively swallowing burnt match heads. One of the toxic effects of swallowing large numbers of matches is hemolysis, a breakdown of red blood cells. This lowers the blood’s ability to carry oxygen. In addition to respiratory failure, damage to the kidneys and liver can occur.
What happens if you swallow a lot of matches?
For children, swallowing a few match tips generally causes some minor symptoms such as irritation to the mouth or throat, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. These effects are well tolerated unless the vomiting and diarrhea are severe and lead to dehydration. If the match tip is hot, it can burn the lips or mouth.
Serious toxicity from swallowing matches can happen in young children who swallow more than 12 strike-anywhere matches or more than 20 safety matches. Serious toxicity can also happen in people weighing more than 50 kg (110 lb) who swallow more than 80 strike-anywhere or safety matches. For example, a 3-year-old boy developed kidney failure after eating about 40 match heads. A pregnant woman with cautopyreiophagia gave birth to a baby who showed toxic effects from the match chemicals. The newborn had hemolysis of her red blood cells and signs of liver injury. She required treatment in a hospital for 8 days.
How do you treat someone who has swallowed a match?
If someone swallows match heads, rinse and spit with water to remove anything left in the mouth, drink a few sips of water, and watch for dehydration if vomiting or diarrhea occurs. Minor vomiting or diarrhea can be managed at home by increasing fluid intake. See a doctor for burns in the mouth, or for dehydration caused by severe vomiting or diarrhea. Anyone who is deliberately swallowing matches should see a doctor.