Toddlers are especially vulnerable to ingesting a household chemical by accident. | stock photo
Toddlers are especially vulnerable to ingesting a household chemical by accident. | stock photo
A recent spike in calls to poison control centers may be tied to people who, concerned about COVID-19, are stocking up on cleaning products they wouldn’t normally keep around their homes, including a 70% increase in calls related to hand sanitizer.
Emily Samuel, Global Safety Programs lead for Safe Kids Worldwide, appeared on WJR’s "The Paul W. Smith Show" to speak about the increase in calls and what families can do to prevent children from gaining access to toxic chemicals.
“During the pandemic, there are so many different priorities that families are juggling. And as we social-distance, our homes are not just a place for us to live, they’ve become our offices, schools and where our kids play,” Samuel told Smith.
Smith questioned whether some problems could be related to packaging that has been co-opted as companies attempt to meet demand, such as hand sanitizer in what looks like water bottles.
“Now that’s just a recipe for a disaster!” Smith said on his show.
“It is, and we have seen these reports recently that hand sanitizers are being sold in containers that look similar to water bottles, children’s food pouches and other beverages,” Samuel told Smith. “And that has also increased the number of hand sanitizer exposures reported to poison control centers this year.”
Having products in the home that could easily be mistaken for something benign makes it all the more important to safely store potential hazards in a place children can’t access, she suggested.
Samuel also discouraged families from trying to create their own sanitizers and cleaning products at home, if there are children present, especially given that the homemade products would most likely be stored in containers such as empty water bottles.
Samuel said the three main tips to keep in mind are: storing potentially dangerous products out of reach and sight of children, keeping products in their original containers including the product labels, and having the local poison control number handy or saved in the caregiver's phone.
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