Anyone who spends very much time with children, whether as parents or caregivers, in homes or day-care, knows how inquiring their minds are even at a very early age. Toddlers, aged 1-3, are especially curious and also very quiet in their wanderings and can be “in a heap of trouble” in the blink of an eye. In the worst case scenarios, that trouble can lead to hospitalization or even death.
Based on a study released thsi week by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), parents are once again being reminded to properly lock up all household cleaners if there are children in the home, especially toddlers.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, conducted one of the most comprehensive studies regarding childhood injuries involving household cleaners, researchers studied children treated in emergency rooms between 1990-2006 for illness/injueis caused by household cleaning products.
The outcome of the study revealed that a myriad of cleaning products in most US homes continue to be a significant risk to young children, especially toddlers, despite efforts made by the companies’ development and use of child-resistant packaging.
Child-resistant packaging has been useful in reducing the number of specific cleaning product injuries over the past two decades by about half, but according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission database analysis of consumer product-related injuries, the number is still too high.
The spray bottle was the most common container in cleaning-product injuries, increasing 30-40% from 1990-2006.
“The problem with a spray bottle is that the child can spray it in the face or they can also unscrew the cap and drink out of it,” said Heath Jolliff, associate medical director for the Central Ohio Poison Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Bleach was the most common product causing injury, but did not increase the chance that the child would have to be hospitalized. However, dangerous and fatal gasses can occur if bleach and ammonia are mixed.
Chemicals/Cleaners such as pine oil cleaners, oven cleaners, toilet bowl products, dishwasher detergents contain acidsw and detergents and account for about 33% of injury cases.
A whopping 72% of these injuries involved children 1-3 years old; nearly 46% of the cases involved 1 year olds. Usually the cleaning products were ingested.
“These estimates most likely reflect the ubiquitous nature of household cleaning products and the ease of accessibility to children,” the report says. “Household cleaning products are alluring to children because of their color, scent, and brightly colored packaging.”
He also noted that it’s dangerous for parents to store cleaners in food or drink containers, which can confuse children. Jolliff has had patients in the intensive-care unit who have gulped chemicals stored in sports drink bottles. He’s had other patients who have been exposed to products such as lamp oils or furniture polishes. Jolliff says many parents aren’t aware that these kinds of products can lead to serious lung damage if put in the mouth.
“I do unfortunately, see a lot of those [cases],” said Jolliff, who recommends that parents put the numbers to local poison control centers in their cell phones. “The poor parents just feel horrible.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests storing poisonous substances in locked cabinets, buying products with child-resistant packaging, keeping products in their original containers, and properly disposing of leftover products. “Previous studies showed that many families do not adopt the recommended storage practices for household cleaning products,” the report says.
Some cleaning products that seem “innocent” and don’t quickly set off the same warning sound to parents are the many products now sold as “wipes”, or toilet bowl cleaners with the cleaning agent in a sponge. They contain the same chemicals as their bottled or canned counterparts, but their appearance is different and they are often kept in easily accessible locations, such as under kitchen or bathroom sinks.
Whether children live in your home or just visit occasionally, please remember those inquiring toddler minds and keep your home safe for them.
Laura Lamp King