The uncle of a three-year-old boy who died yesterday after drinking weedkiller has appealed for people to dispose of all bottles containing the chemicals to prevent the tragedy happening to others.
James Hade from Carlow swallowed the weedkiller on Sunday when he got hold of a bottle of the chemical in a relative's house.
He was taken to hospitals in Carlow, Kilkenny and then Dublin. Nearly four days after the accident he died in the early hours of yesterday morning.
His uncle, Mr Patrick McGrath, yesterday spoke about the accident so that other families would not suffer.
He said: "This is a wake-up call for people to get rid of all these chemicals. I wouldn't like anyone else to suffer the way that baby suffered. He suffered a lot of pain. If I can only help any other children. I don't want any other family to go through this."
If people had any bottles of weedkiller or any chemicals in the house, they should get rid of them, Mr McGrath said. People seemed to hold on to the liquids thinking they would use them some time.
When James, of Father Byrne Park, Graiguecullen, Carlow, swallowed the liquid, he was first taken to hospital in Carlow. He was then moved to Kilkenny, but on Monday was transferred to Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, Dublin, and Temple Street.
He died yesterday morning at 2.30 a.m. His body was brought back to Lacey's funeral home in Carlow.
To add to the family's anguish, his parents, Seamus and Catherine, were informed that he should not have been released so soon. He had to be brought back to Dublin yesterday afternoon for a post-mortem this morning.
James will be buried on Sunday after 5 p.m. Mass at Carlow Cathedral. He has three siblings: Rebecca (12), Mary Anne (7) and Sean, six months.
Dr Joseph Tracey, director of the National Poisons Information Centre (NPIC), warned that weedkillers should never be decanted. They should be put into the container to use on the garden and then the rest should be disposed of immediately.
"Never ever put weedkiller or other chemicals like this into bottles," he said.
Most cleaners today, such as bleach, toilet cleaners and descalers, had child-proof tops, but none of these products should be put in other containers.
"A child would see it as a lemonade bottle," he said.
The advice was that all household products should be kept locked up and out of reach of children. They should also not be left in gardens or sheds.
Chemicals should not be stored in the press under the kitchen sink or where they could be easily reached in the bathroom.