Calls to NC Poison Control spike in March as people try to protect against coronavirus
More people are calling poison control in North Carolina about cleaning products during the coronavirus pandemic.
North Carolina Poison Control said Monday it received 682 calls about household cleaners in March. That’s a 50% increase compared to March 2019, when the not-for-profit group says it got 454 calls.
Cleaners such as bleach and disinfectants are commonly involved in chemical exposures in the home, according to group, and they’re being used more during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We understand people are paying special attention to keeping their homes clean and are very mindful of their health right now,” Dr. Anna Dulaney, clinical toxicologist at North Carolina Poison Control, said in a news release. “But we want people to know that cleaning products can be toxic if they’re used in the wrong way.”
North Carolina isn’t the only state seeing such a spike in calls.
Poison control centers across the country are getting more calls than usual for exposures, such as cleaning “mishaps” and children drinking hand sanitizer, McClatchy News reports.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week that calls to poison control centers were up 20% nationally between January and March compared to previous years, with 45,550 poisonings reported. More than 80% of those calls involved disinfectants and more than half involved children under the age of 6.
Chemical exposures can happen when cleaners are accidentally sprayed into the eyes or on the skin or when chemicals are mixed and cause a harmful gas, according to North Carolina Poison Control.
When products are left within reach, children can be exposed.
Poison Control emphasized the importance of using cleaners correctly to avoid “poisoning exposure.” You should never inject or ingest cleaners, the group says.
To avoid poisoning or exposure, N.C. Poison Control says cleaners should be kept away from children and chemicals should not be mixed.
The U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration says it’s good practice to keep cleaners in their original containers so as not to mix them up, McClatchy News reports.
Only room temperature water should be used to dilute products, and eye and skin protection should be warn, according to the CDC.
Additionally, the CDC says it’s important to make sure there’s enough ventilation when using cleaners.
