Child-resistant (CR) packaging has emerged as one of the effective measures to reduce the risks of poisoning and overdose especially by children who may unintentionally ingest chemicals or drugs found at home. They are small plastic bags or blisters that contain individual pills or doses of the capsules, popular for packaging of over the counter drugs and dietary supplements. The addition of child-resistant features to these blister cards can also enhance protection for consumers.
Accidental ingestion is one of the biggest risks associated with the use of the mentioned drugs due to the possibility of confusion with other medicines.
Annually, more than 300000 children in the United States are transported to the emergency department because of accidental ingestion of a toxic substance or medication. More than 60,000 of these accidents happen because children end up with medications kept in standard pill containers or packages. Unfortunately, some of these occurrences turn out to be fatal. Child-resistant packaging offers the first layer of protection against potential dangers of ingesting poisonous substances without active interference. The fact that blister packs can be made tamper evident or very hard for a young child to open provides parents and caregivers extra time to step in and avoid accidental poisoning.
Poison Prevention Packaging Act of the United States
To address the increasing cases of accidental poisoning, the U. S. Congress enacted the Poison Prevention Packaging Act (PPPA) in the year 1970. This law provided the Consumer Product Safety Commission with the rule making authority and responsibility for Child-Resistant Packaging. The PPPA applies to any particular over-the-counter medication, dietary supplement, or hazardous household chemical that may cause harm if consumed.
The PPPA does not specify the precise characteristics of packaging through which it can be classified as child-resistant. Instead, it establishes a performance standard that packaging has to meet through some level of testing. According to the PPPA, child-proof packaging should not be easily accessible by children under the age of 5 and within the time frame of 10 minutes; at the same time, it has to be senior-friendly and easily operable by the elderly, who are above 50 years of age.
Child Resistant Blister Packaging Integration
Several methods can help blister packaging to meet PPPA requirements on child resistance. These features operate to enhance the intricacy, synchronisation, force or rhythm of the movements needed to expel the individual pill bubbles. Some common child-resistant mechanisms integrated into blister cards and foils include:Some common child-resistant mechanisms integrated into blister cards and foils include:
- Tear-Notch Foils – Foil sheets that have been specifically crafted to tear at certain notches or perforations and not at others, to ensure that children do not pop out pills at will.
- Blister Bubbles – A series of push-throughs which are locked by tabs or foils that need to be aligned and slid to a particular position.
- Blister bubbles that have an outer layer that has to be popped before the pills can be pushed through.
- Snap-On Backings – These are plastic doors or lids that fit over blister cards and can only be opened by using small tabs or actuators.
A significant portion of card-and-foil blister packs also include multiple-step CR opening sequences with the help of arrow, alignment, peel tabs, and lock/unlock toggle on the cards. Adults are directed by clear printed instructions on the packaging on how to make the right opening motions and sequences.
Advantages of Child Resistant Blister Packaging
Integrating tamper-evident and child-resistant features into blister packs offers many benefits:Integrating tamper-evident and child-resistant features into blister packs offers many benefits:
- Passive Protection – CR mechanisms ensure the implementation of the measures without the need for people’s attention and intervention for it to work. Blister packs remain rigid at any time they are sealed.
- Portion Control – Blister packs release pills in single doses, which avoids problems of consuming more than a prescribed dose due to confusion with other similar packaging methods like bottles with loose pills.
- Senior Friendliness – Well-designed CR blister packs meet the requirements for being opened by senior adults most of the time, a feature that is lacking with many bottle cap designs.
- Noticeability – This feature of blister pack seals is easily noticeable when some of the peel tabs, foil sheets, or locking components are already opened or tampered with earlier.
- Safety – CR blister packaging conforms to the safety requirements of the U. S federal governments thus giving consumers an assurance that blister packed product are resistant to the control of children.
The use of tamper-evident and child-resistant elements increases packaging prices only slightly while offering significant benefits in terms of saving lives. Consumers’ adherence to proper use of CR mechanisms also eliminates wasteful returns and may also cover some costs in the long run. Finally, the enhanced abilities to safeguard the lives of children by designing blister packs based on the safety standards used in the United States far outweigh the costs.
Looking Ahead
Although child-resistant packaging has significantly improved the ways of avoiding home mishaps, unsafe habits of storage and public unawareness still add to tens of thousands of avoidable injuries every year. Further enhancement of the innovation process and consumer awareness regarding the correct operation of child-resistant characteristics could reduce the rates of accidental ingestion even more. Blister packaging has opportunities for implementing smart CR technologies such as Bluetooth locks, digitally encrypted opening sequences, or NFC peel tabs. Child-resistant packaging will keep evolving, though, effective poison control isn’t limited to them alone – it is a multi-stakeholder effort that involves everyone involved in the production and distribution of products containing poisonous substances.