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For Release After 9:30 a.m. CST, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 1997

TELEVISION CAN BE DANGEROUS TO KIDS, EVEN WHEN IT'S TURNED OFF

CHICAGO -- Today's larger, lighter television sets can pose a serious risk to young children who may be crushed or otherwise seriously injured when they pull the TVs off their stands, according to two studies presented here today during the 83rd Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

"Most of the injuries we've seen are in very young children who try to climb up the stand to reach the television set, presumably because they're attracted by the colors and sounds," said pediatric radiology fellow Gerald D. Karcher Jr., M.D. Dr. Karcher presented information on 12 children, ages 9 months to 8 years, who were crushed or struck by toppled television sets and brought to the emergency room of Children's National Medical Center, Washington, D.C.

In a related presentation, injuries to 15 children, ages 15 months to 8 years, were reported by Marcelle L. Piccolello, M.D., pediatric radiologist, Rhode Island Hospital/Hasbro Children's Hospital, and assistant professor of diagnostic imaging, Brown University School of Medicine, Providence.

"Parents and others who care for young children should be aware of this danger and ensure that their television sets are in a cabinet or placed on a secure stand that cannot be toppled," Dr. Piccolello said.

The injuries reported in the study included head injuries, some of them serious, and broken arms, legs, feet and hands.

Co-authors of a paper on the topic presented by Dr. Karcher during the RSNA meeting are L. G. Vezina, M.D., and J. Reardon, R.N.

The RSNA is an association of 30,000 radiologists and physicists in medicine dedicated to education and research in the science of radiology. The Society's headquarters are located at 2021 Spring Road, Suite 600, Oak Brook, Illinois 60523-1860.

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Copies of 1997 RSNA news releases are available online at http://www.pcipr.com/rsna beginning Monday, Dec. 1.