Cleaning products were the biggest culprits in NC Poison Control cases during COVID
As people turned to disinfectants to ward off the coronavirus, North Carolina Poison Control reported a surge in cases involving household cleaners.
In 2020, the poison control center said it fielded more than 7,000 cases related to cleaning products — a 23% uptick from the year before, officials announced Monday in a news release.
N.C. Poison Control urged caution as it said cleaners were the “leading factor” behind poison control cases last year.
North Carolina reported its first known coronavirus infection in March 2020, when health officials started encouraging people to sanitize commonly used surfaces to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Across the country, shoppers stocked up on disinfecting wipes and other household essentials, leaving store shelves bare.
Around the same time, health experts expressed concerns about people potentially ingesting bleach and other products that kill germs.
By April, parts of the country had seen an increase in poison control center calls about medications, cleaners and other chemicals as people stayed home and sought to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
That same month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration called on hand sanitizer companies to make their products taste worse in hopes that people would be less likely to drink them, McClatchy News reported. Federal officials said sanitizers can be deadly for young children, who sometimes are drawn to the way the substances smell or look.
As of Feb. 28, there have been 4,008 reported cases of hand sanitizer exposure nationwide in children 12 years and younger this year, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers.
Household cleaners also can pose dangers, so it’s best to follow instructions on labels, avoid mixing products and put chemicals in places that are difficult for children to reach. Last year, nearly half of all exposures involved kids ages 5 and younger, according to N.C. Poison Control.
The center — currently marking National Poison Prevention Week — said exposures are often accidental and involve products that are swallowed, inhaled or get onto the skin or eyes.
“Not all cleaning products are equally dangerous,” Dr. Michael Beuhler, medical director for N.C. Poison Control, said in a news release. “When you contact poison control, we can help you figure that out.”
Anyone who may have been exposed in North Carolina can call the center at 800-222-1222.
