Since we all have frantically scrubbed and disinfected our homes because of COVID-19, the first three months of this year saw a 20 percent increase in accidental poisonings from cleaning agents compared to 2018 and 2019.
According to the CDC, the authors of the latest report said, “they can’t prove coronavirus drove the increase, but said it seems likely the two are linked, given the number of stay-at-home orders and guidance to clean hands and dirty surfaces. They warned against using more cleaner than directed, mixing multiple products together or using them in poorly ventilated areas.
The report was based on more than 45,000 recent calls to 55 poison control centers across the country involving exposures to cleaning chemicals or disinfectants.”
