Health agency officials said calls to US poison centers rose 20 percent this year due to exposure to bleach and other disinfectants, which has linked the increase to cleaning recommendations for COVID-19.
From January to March 2020, 45,550 calls were received in poison centers for hazardous exposure to cleaning chemicals, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a report, compared to 37,822 in the previous year.
The number of calls rose sharply in March – around the time most government bans came into effect – with exposure to children under the age of five making up the largest proportion.
Exposure to bleach, alcohol-free disinfectants and hand disinfectants rose sharply, with the main route being inhalation.
The CDC shared two case studies to illustrate the problem.
One concerned a woman who heard in the news that it was important to clean all food before eating, and therefore filled her sink with a mixture of 10 percent bleach, vinegar, and hot water to soak her products.
She noticed a bad smell and had difficulty breathing when coughing and wheezing and called 911.
She was taken to an emergency room, where she was found to have a little bit of oxygen in her blood, but improved after she was given oxygen and given an inhaler. She was released a few hours later.
The second case concerned a preschool girl who was unresponsive at home and had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance.
A 2 liter bottle of alcohol hand disinfectant was found open on the kitchen table. Her family said she felt dizzy after ingesting an unknown amount, fell, and hit her head.
She vomited in the ambulance and almost didn’t respond.
Your blood alcohol level was 273 milligrams per deciliter, more than three times the legal beverage limit of 80 mg / DL in most US states.
Brain scans showed no concussion and she was admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit overnight, where her mental condition improved and she was released after 48 hours.
The CDC said: “The timing of these reported exposures corresponded to increased media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, reports of consumer shortages of cleaning and disinfection products, and the start of some local and government orders to stay at home.”
The health agency recommended that people using detergents always read and follow the directions on the label to avoid such exposure, use only room temperature water to dilute, and avoid mixing chemicals.
You should also wear eye and skin protection, make sure they are cleaned with adequate ventilation, and keep chemicals out of the reach of children.
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