Filters from extinguished cigarettes were the leading object in cases of accidental swallowing among children in 1996 at eight hospitals, the Health and Ministry reported Tuesday.

A 1996 survey of 17 medical institutions, including the hospitals, found that of the total number of hospital cases involving children being exposed to hazardous products, 3,395, or 48%, involved cigarettes, according to the ministry.

There were 374 cases of ingestion of bathroom or household cleaning products and 274 incidences of skin trouble, such as eczema, attributed to kitchen detergents, it said. Children required hospitalization in 22 cases of accidental ingestion.

The ministry said that most accidents of this type occur in the home, and adults must be more careful, adding that they sometimes take the wrong action after a child has swallowed a hazardous object, such as forcing the child to drink milk or water.

The survey, which covered 17 medical institutions, gathered information about accidental intake of liquids from Nagoya No. 1 Red Cross Hospital and seven other hospitals; about skin troubles stemming from accidents from Shinshu University Hospital in Nagano Prefecture and seven others; and about inhalation of noxious substances from the Japan Poisoning Information Center.

Accidental intake of medicine was second after cigarettes, accounting for 120 cases, or 14.6 percent, followed by toys with 38 cases, or 4.8 percent, and batteries with 32 cases, or 3.9 percent. Accidents most frequently occur between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., accounting for a third of the total.

The ministry said that in many cases, children put hazardous objects in their mouths during family gatherings when the parents are looking away. Babies 6 to 11 months old accounted for the largest number of swallowed cigarettes, at 300 cases, followed by children from 12 to 17 months old.