Critics say that children and infant's Tylenol comes in kid-pleasing flavors and is marketed as a safe alternative to aspirin and other pain relievers. Consumers were not told that giving a child as little as twice the proper dose over a period of time could destroy their livers. Overdoses are all too easy, they say. Children like the taste and sneak an extra swig. Or Dad doesn't know Mom just gave the baby Tylenol and administers a second dose.
Parents confuse regular, extra-strength, children's and infant's formulas.
The American Association of Poison Control Centers figures for 1996 show 31,511 children under 6 suffered inappropriate exposure to pediatric acetaminophen products. John Bolton, a pediatrician from San Francisco, has campaigned for years to change Tylenol's marketing and said the tougher labels are a step in the right direction. Permission is granted to reprint the textual portions of this web and the Earth Guardian insignia, with attribution, in hardcopy form only.