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Trump is lying when he says he was "sarcastic" when talking about injecting disinfectant against covid-19 7:37
(CNN) - When his daughter was born, Alex Kaplan thought his home was safe for babies. But I was wrong.
"We have a smart girl," said Kaplan, who lives in Washington. "At 9 months he managed to open a bottle of acetaminophen, which was 'child-proof.'"
When Kaplan found her, she was in a sticky mess and had smeared the gel caps in her mouth. "We found that acetaminophen is very dangerous and dose dependent," said Kaplan, who called poison control and then went to the nearest emergency room.
Kaplan's daughter was fine, but accidental poisoning is a serious problem for American children.
More than 300 children are treated for poisoning each day in the United States' emergency departments, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
On average, two of those children die.
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As Americans spend more time at home trying to protect their families from covid-19, accidental poisonings increase. And some experts believe the increase is due to the same cleaning products parents use to protect their families from infection.
Why have poisonings increased?
"Our center has seen more than 100% increase in calls related to disinfection products from March 31 to this week," said Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor, medical director of the National Capital Poison Center. While President Trump's comments about fighting covid-19 with disinfectants have been linked to a spate of poison control calls, the increase predates his April 23 news conference.
Trump is not responsible for misuse of disinfectantsDr. Johnson-Arbor's National Poison Center serves Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia counties, but there are calls from across the United States.
The Health Resources and Services Administration found that calls to poison control centers increased 24% between January and March 2020.
"Much of this is due to increased use and exposure to cleaning products," Johnson-Arbor explained, noting that many Americans are taking additional steps to clean and disinfect their homes to prevent the spread of covid-19.
"These cleaning products are in short supply," Johnson-Arbor said. "We are just grabbing what is available, and it may be something that we are not familiar with for use."
A study published by the CDC on April 24 reinforced what Johnson-Arbor and colleagues have observed.
Calls to the poison center related to cleaning products and disinfectants increased by 20.4% in the period from January to March 2020, compared to the previous year, according to new data.
Although the study doesn't break the figures down by month, CDC charts showing calls to poison centers showed that the highest exposure actually skyrocketed in March, a period of increasing awareness of the danger posed by covid-19.
Children are at the highest risk of exposure to chemicals
Those calls to poison control centers disproportionately involved young children.
"Children are naturally curious," said Johnson-Arbor. "That is why it is not uncommon to see children access these cleaning products."
The most vulnerable group included children 5 years of age and younger. From January to March 2020, they accounted for 35.7% of total calls to poison centers related to cleaning products and 46.9% of exposures to disinfectants.
While older children accounted for fewer calls to poison control, they are still at risk. During the sample period featured in the CDC study, youth ages 6 to 19 accounted for 8.9% of exposures to cleaning products and 13.6% of exposures to disinfectants.
While the numbers have increased, the overall proportion of affected children is consistent with data from previous years.
The National Capital Poison Center reported that in 2018, 44.2% of poison exposures were children 5 years of age and younger.
Of these, 1-year-olds and 2-year-olds were at highest risk. The NCPC report showed that in children 12 years and younger, children are more likely to be exposed; girls are at greater risk from the age of 13.
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Common products can be dangerous for children
Chemical exposures are on the rise, but even in a normal year, household cleaners pose a health hazard to children.
"Any of the products currently available can be dangerous for children," Johnson-Arbor said. Disinfectants generally have similar compositions. They are generally composed of bleach, ammonium compounds, alcohols, abrasive agents; all of those things are potentially toxic. ”
All-natural cleaning products can also present a risk, Johnson-Arbor noted.
"Natural cleaning products may not contain" aggressive chemicals "in quotes that are present in traditional products, but they may contain other things," he said.
"Sometimes natural cleansers will contain essential oils, for example, and essential oils can be very irritating to the skin, eyes, and gastrointestinal tract."
Cleaning substances were the No. 2 cause of poisoning for children under the age of 6, accounting for 10.7% of all exposures in 2018, according to data from the annual report of the National Poison Data System of the American Association of Cancer Centers. Poison Control.
Topping the 2018 pediatric exposure list were cosmetics and personal care products, which accounted for 12.1% of cases. In the number 3 spot were pain relievers, such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and aspirin.
However, the most common chemical exposures are not always the most serious.
For children younger than 6 years, pain medications accounted for 20.5% of poisoning deaths between 2014 and 2018, reported the National Capital Poison Center, based on figures from the Association's National Poisoning Data System. American Poison Control Centers. Other poisoning deaths include fumes (16.7%), antihistamines (6.4%), and cardiovascular medications (5.7%).
Despite the prevalence, and the recent increase in pediatric poisonings due to household cleaners and disinfectants, they are relatively unlikely to cause deaths. Between 2014 and 2018 they accounted for just 3.4% of poisoning deaths.
How to avoid household poisoning and exposure to chemicals
In the CDC study, the highest proportion of calls to poison control centers related to cleaning products and disinfectants was due to someone ingesting the hazardous substance. Inhalation of products reached number 2.
"Some of these products look very attractive," said Johnson-Arbor. "They can be yellow or purple, and they can look like juice or other products that a child is used to playing with."
To prevent children from coming into contact with potentially dangerous substances, including chemicals and medications, Johnson-Arbor said that proper storage is essential.
"We always want to keep these products in high places and out of the reach of young children," he said. "People should have child protective locks in any area where these compounds are stored."
But when it comes to protecting children from cleaning products, Johnson-Arbor noted that proper use is also important.
"These products are meant to be used one at a time," he said. "If you mix them together, sometimes it can create a by-product that is actually more toxic and more harmful." A common and dangerous mistake, the expert said, is to combine bleach with ammonia or vinegar.
"If you're working with chemicals, do it in a well-ventilated space," he said. Especially when cleaning bathrooms, which tend to have poor ventilation, Johnson-Arbor said it is good to keep children away from the area.
"Young children, especially if they inhale the chemicals, can have a lot of respiratory irritation," he said. "You don't want anyone there who doesn't need to be there during the cleaning process."
What to do if your child is exposed to dangerous chemicals
After that terrifying encounter with acetaminophen, Kaplan decided to step up child protection for his home. He scheduled a visit for Baby Proofing Montgomery, a company that specializes in advising parents on creating safe homes.
Now her home is more childproof, and she has stored chemicals and medications out of her reach. And when Kaplan's friends become parents, he makes sure they have the poison control number stored on their cell phones.
Despite increased call volumes, Johnson-Arbor said that poison control centers in the United States will be available throughout the pandemic and beyond.
"We are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, including holidays," he said. In addition to toll-free hotlines, Johnson-Arbor noted that help is available online at Poison.org.
It is possible, he said, that the waiting times are longer than usual. While poison control centers are not government-run, some operate state covid-19 hotlines to help with the response to the pandemic.
Increased wait times, Johnson-Arbor said, should not deter anyone from calling. When they do, they will contact specially trained nurses and pharmacologists who will offer free help.
There are 55 poison control centers serving all 50 states, in addition to the overseas territories. Poison control centers are funded by federal, state, and municipal governments, with additional support from individual donations. On April 23, the US Department of Health and Human Services. USA announced that it was allocating almost $ 5 million in funds to poison control centers.
"We are not a government agency, and we need to maintain our adequate funding levels," said Johnson-Arbor. For now, however, he said the service will continue to be available to all Americans.
"We will stay open," he said.
Poisonings