title: Routine screening of Halloween candy: helpful or hazardous?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the frequency of radiopaque items found in radiologic screening of Halloween candy and to determine the possibility of missing a small item.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective observational study on Halloween night, 1992. Data were collected from area medical centers that were screening Halloween candy. The ability to detect small sharp items was tested at five centers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five hospitals and three immediate care centers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four hundred fifty-four bags of candy were screened.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No unknown radiopaque items were discovered. One of five centers tested for accuracy failed to detect a small radiopaque item. Only one hospital required parents to sign a waiver of liability. The immediate care centers recorded patients' names; the other hospitals kept no record of the names of children whose bags were screened. No physicians viewed the radiographs or fluoroscopy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The routine radiologic screening of Halloween candy has an extremely low yield in detecting radiopaque items.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville, Kentucky.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Cappelle
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eberly
authors.forename: R I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Paul
mesh_terms: D002182:Candy; D002648:Child; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D005471:Fluoroscopy; D005506:Food Contamination; D006693:Holidays; D006801:Humans; D016365:Liability, Legal; D011859:Radiography / Q000191:economics