As many Americans fight the coronavirus pandemic through careful cleaning at home, experts warn that the increased use of cleaning products may pose a hazard to kids.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said emergency poison control calls related to household cleaning items, and disinfectants had been up 20.4% between January and March this year.
Volunteers dressed in coronavirus-themed costumes sit on a vehicle during a campaign organised by the Violet Organization, in an effort to spread awareness and encourage safety amid coronavirus disease (COVID-19) fears, in the rebel-held Idlib city, Syria April 29, 2020. Picture taken April 29, 2020.
Does cleanliness lead to negligence?
Experts say the obsession with cleanliness usually leads to negligence when it comes to the usage of these merchandise with kids within the home.
Samara Geller, a senior research and database analyst from the Environmental Working Group, told The Post aggressive cleaning calls for careful consideration, says
"As many people hunker down indoors to flatten the curve of the coronavirus epidemic, they may be using disinfectants and other cleaning products more frequently," she mentioned. Geller said using these chemicals safely is more important than ever; thus, making sure to follow label directions exactly.
Following the instructions is specifically vital now seeing that merchandise such as those containing ammonia or bleach "can cause or exacerbate respiratory issues," Geller added.
Reports on kids from 5 and under accounted for 35.7% of all calls to poison control facilities from January to March 2020. Also, 46.9% of these calls involve disinfectants. On the other hand, those ages six to 19 made up 8.9% of exposures to cleaning products and 13.6% of exposures to disinfectants.
"Any of the currently available products can be hazardous to children," said Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor, National Capital Poison Center's medical director.
She told CNN disinfectants generally have similar compositions. These items, according to Johnson-Arbor, are typically made up of those things that are potentially toxic - including bleaches, ammonium compounds, alcohols, and abrasive agents.
Gellar is mainly concerned with the overzealous use of bleach across the home, especially while blended with other cleaning solutions.
"Natural" products are as risky as usual cleaners
Johnson-Arbor delivered warning for so-called "natural" cleaning products, which may be just as risky as conventional cleaners.
Johnson-Arbor introduced a warning for so-called "natural" cleaning products, which may be just as dangerous as traditional cleaners.
"Natural cleaning products may not contain the 'harsh chemicals' that are present in the traditional products, but they might contain other things," she said. She added essential oils can be "very irritating to the skin, to the eyes and the gastrointestinal tract."
New data by the Health Resources and Services Administration echoed the CDC's report. It said the United States poison control centers had seen a 24 percent increase in calls on poisoning all through the first three months of 2020.
Fox News said some regions had seen a 100% percent surge since Mar. 31 at the National Capital Poison Center. The cases are usually states of Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said they would supply nearly $5 million to help fund poison manipulate centers throughout the U.S.
"We are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, including holidays," Johnson-Arbor said. Toll-free hotlines for poison control stations in the U.S. can be found through Poison.org.
