Data from the National Poison Data System has a breakdown of more than 28,000 calls related to cleaners and more than 17,000 reports linked to disinfectants.
Accidental Poisoning Calls On The Increase As Americans Are Told To Disinfect More
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The novel coronavirus pandemic is believed to be the root cause behind an increase of accidental poisonings in the U.S.
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that emergency centers reported a 20 percent increase in accidental poisonings related to cleaners and disinfectants during in the first three months of 2020.
The report 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 beginning of some local and state stay-at-home order."
Exposure among children under the age of five "consistently represented" a large percentage of the calls. Officials with the Texas Poison Control Network say most unintentional poisonings occur in the home and suggest that parents take the time to protect their children by doing a, ".... walk-through of your home and find where you keep all potential poisons" and making sure those items aren't accessible.
It isn't known if the poison numbers will increase after recent statements made by President Donald Trump, but the company that makes Lysol has issued an urgent message to its customers, telling them not to consume their cleaning products.
British company Reckitt Benckiser says human consumption of disinfectant products is dangerous.
The company released a statement saying, "Under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route)."
Reckitt Benckiser said they made the decision to issue the statement after "recent speculation and social media activity."
On Thursday, after a press briefing, President Trump suggested the possibility of injecting disinfectants to protect people from the coronavirus.
Among cleaners, bleaches accounted for the largest percentage increase in calls from 2019 to 2020.
For the record, chlorine bleach is toxic and it can and does kill people who drink it. The Food and Drug Administration regularly warns the public against drinking bleach, or even inhaling fumes from bleach.
Anyone believing they or someone they know has been poisoned should call 800-222-1222 to be directly connected to their state poison center. Help is available online with at web poison control.
