Poison centers see 20% spike in calls related to cleaners, disinfectants
Poison centers in the United States saw a more than 20% increase in calls for exposures to cleaners and disinfectants during the first 3 months this year compared with the same time period in 2019, according to a new MMWR report. The spike is likely related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors said.
According to the report, there were 45,550 exposure calls in the U.S. related to cleaners and disinfectants from January through March —20.4% more than the first 3 months in 2019 and 16.4% more than in 2018.
Among cleaners, exposure to bleaches accounted for the largest percentage of the increase from 2019 to 2020, the authors reported. Nonalcohol disinfectants and hand sanitizers were responsible for the largest percentage of the increase among disinfectants.
The exposures were reported to the National Poison Data System (NPDS).
“Although NPDS data do not provide information showing a definite link between exposures and COVID-19 cleaning efforts, there appears to be a clear temporal association with increased use of these products,” the authors wrote.
The CDC recommends that people — “with precautions” — clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces “to help mitigate the transmission of SARS-CoV-2,” the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. It has published tips on household cleaning and disinfecting at this link.
According to the report, children aged 5 years or younger “consistently represented at large percentage of calls” during the study periods in all 3 years.
The MMWR report briefly described two cases illustrating the types of calls being received by poison centers. In one, a preschool-age child was hospitalized in the pediatric ICU after ingesting “an unknown amount” of ethanol-based hand sanitizer, which gave her a blood alcohol level roughly 3 1/2 times the legal limit for driving in most states, the authors reported. In the other, a woman experienced difficulty breathing and called 911 after mixing bleach, vinegar and hot water in her sink to clean produce. Both patients recovered. – by Gerard Gallagher
Reference:
Chang A, et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020;doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6916e1.