Calls to a State Poison Center Concerning Cleaners and Disinfectants From the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic Through April 2020

Public Health Rep. 2021 Jan/Feb;136(1):27-31. doi: 10.1177/0033354920962437. Epub 2020 Oct 15.

Abstract

An increased use of disinfectants during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may increase the number of adverse health effects among people who apply them or among those who are in the area being disinfected. For the 3-month period from January 1 to March 30, 2020, the number of calls about exposure to cleaners and disinfectants made to US poison centers in all states increased 20.4%, and the number of calls about exposure to disinfectants increased 16.4%. We examined calls about cleaners and disinfectants to the Michigan Poison Center (MiPC) since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We compared all calls related to exposure to cleaners or disinfectants, calls with symptoms, and calls in which a health care provider was seen during the first quarters of 2019 and 2020 and in relationship to key COVID-19 dates. From 2019 to 2020, the number of all disinfectant calls increased by 42.8%, the number of calls with symptoms increased by 57.3%, the average number of calls per day doubled after the first Michigan COVID-19 case, from 4.8 to 9.0, and the proportion of calls about disinfectants among all exposure calls to the MiPC increased from 3.5% to 5.0% (P < .001). Calls for exposure to cleaners did not increase significantly. Exposure occurred at home for 94.8%97.1% of calls, and ingestion was the exposure route for 59.7% of calls. Information about the adverse health effects of disinfectants and ways to minimize exposure should be included in COVID-19 pandemic educational materials.

Keywords: COVID-19; cleaning agents; disinfectants; poison center calls.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • COVID-19 / epidemiology*
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Disinfectants / toxicity*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Michigan / epidemiology
  • Pandemics
  • Poison Control Centers / statistics & numerical data*
  • SARS-CoV-2

Substances

  • Disinfectants