Parma, June 5, 2026 – A morning of great apprehension and fear was experienced in a **municipal kindergarten in Parma**, a facility that hosts a nursery and a kindergarten section for children aged 0 to 6. The little ones were playing outdoors in the school garden when, as reported by the Gazzetta di Parma, an educator noticed that a **box containing rat poison** was open and damaged. Four children, three girls aged 2 and 6 and a 5-year-old boy, were playing near the container, immediately triggering emergency services. It happened on Wednesday morning.
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The rush to the hospital and the fear of ingestion
The alarm was immediate: 118 ambulances promptly arrived on the scene, transporting the four young patients **urgently to the pediatric emergency room** of Maggiore hospital. The main fear was that the small granular rodenticide pellets might have been mistaken for candies by the children. If ingested, they can cause internal bleeding and severe organ damage.
The children’s conditions: “No symptoms but observation remains”
Fortunately, the timely intervention of the school staff seems to have prevented the worst. The municipal councilor for Educational Services, Caterina Bonetti, reassured by confirming that the children were **stopped before they could ingest the poison** and that they “show no symptoms of poisoning” and therefore should be discharged today. This was also confirmed by Professor Icilio Dodi, **director of General and Emergency Pediatrics at Maggiore**, who explained that, even in the absence of adverse reactions, the children will remain under observation for a total of 48 hours as per the protocol of the Poison Control Center, before being safely discharged.
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The Municipality’s internal investigation: two hypotheses on the broken box
While doctors monitor the situation, the Municipality of Parma wants to shed absolute light on the responsibilities for a **box of poison accessible in a school garden**. The Councilor for Public Works, Francesco De Vanna, announced the immediate launch of an internal investigation that will involve both the Environment Service (responsible for installing bait boxes) and Parma Infrastrutture, which deals with maintenance and green space mowing. Currently, two lines of inquiry are being pursued: the box could have been **accidentally damaged** during the last **lawn care** intervention, or it could have been **placed already defective or deteriorated**. As a precautionary measure, all other baits present in the facility’s area have already been checked.
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