During the first part of the year, here is what poison control centers reported regarding home cleaning solutions
Due to COVID, people are cleaning and disinfecting more than ever before in their homes. However, we must remember, these chemicals typically include ingredients powerful enough to dissolve and remove soils and contaminants from surfaces.
They are not designed to come into contact with our skin and certainly not our eyes. Plus, we must be careful not to inhale any fumes released by these chemicals. And do not think that just because a cleaning solution is made for home use or his “green,” that it cannot harm the user. Some home use cleaning solutions are very powerful and can cause considerable harm, especially when used improperly.
As to green cleaning solutions specifically, we must remember:
Green cleaning solutions are designed to have a reduced impact on the user and the environment. A “reduced impact” does not mean “no impact.”
To show you how hazardous cleaning solutions can be if not used correctly, calls to poison control centers around the country were collected and analyzed during the first part of the year. This is when everyone was getting nervous about COVID and most of these tabulations involve people using cleaning solutions at home.
Poison control centers are typically manned by 24-our professionals. They are on duty to provide advice and information regarding exposure to poisons, drugs, chemicals, and medications.
During the first part of the year, here is what these poison control centers reported:
•They received 28,158 calls regarding the use or misuse of cleaning solutions. This was an increase of 20.4 percent compared to the same period in 2019.
•There were 17,392 calls from people that thought they had harmed themselves using disinfectants. This was a 16 percent increase over the same period in 2019.
•The increase in calls was seen among all age groups; however, this year, there were many more calls placed by children. These children called because, just like their parents, they were playing with cleaning chemicals or disinfectants in the home but unknowingly using them improperly.
•The use of bleach resulted in the most calls, accounting for 62 percent of all the calls to poison centers.
•Slightly more than a third of the calls were regarding hand sanitizers. These calls fell into the disinfectant category. One poison center reported that hand sanitizers were being consumed by people. Hand sanitizers were never designed to be consumed.
Additionally, in some cases, several hand sanitizers were being used to disinfect surfaces, likely releasing fumes. Hand sanitizers are designed to disinfect hands, not surfaces, and only one is typically necessary.
•The number one reason for the calls to the poison centers, no matter if it was a cleaning solution or a disinfectant, concerned inhalation of cleaning solution fumes.
When these statistics were analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), they concluded the following:
“Associated with the increased use of cleaners and disinfectants [due to COVID], is the possibility of improper use, such as using more than directed on the label, mixing multiple chemical products together, not wearing protective gear, and applying in poorly ventilated areas.”
The CDC goes on to say,
“To reduce improper use and prevent unnecessary chemical exposures, users should always read and follow directions on the label, only use water at room temperature for dilution (unless stated otherwise on the label), avoid mixing chemical products, wear eye and skin protection, ensure adequate ventilation, and store chemicals out of the reach of children.”
And when it comes to using cleaning solutions in a commercial facility, the best advice we can give is to leave these cleaning solutions to the cleaning professionals. They are trained on how to use these products safely and effectively.
