Status: 02/08/2021 07:46 a.m.
The experts recorded significantly more calls about possible poisoning with disinfectants. (Subject picture)
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The poison emergency number received more calls in 2020 than in the previous year. According to the Poison Center North (GIZ) in Göttingen, the many calls about poisoning with disinfectants were particularly noticeable: during the lockdowns in the second and fourth quarters, a particularly large number of emergency calls were received, it said. The emergency calls reported were mainly children who had tried such means, said GIZ director Martin Ebbecke. “During the Corona era, many people have disinfectants at home,” said Ebbecke. In March and April alone, GIZ recorded 160 calls about possible poisoning with disinfectants – in previous years, fewer than 50 calls were received per month. While small amounts of disinfectants usually have no noteworthy consequences, according to Ebbecke, in the worst case, larger amounts can lead to comatose states. The GIZ therefore warns against leaving disinfectants and cleaning agents around carelessly at home. GIZ Nord was founded in 1995 and is a joint institution of the federal states of Bremen, Lower Saxony, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. According to the experience of the experts, the greatest danger to children comes from household chemicals and medicines. In adults, drug poisoning predominates.
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