![]() A 64-ounce bottle of ethanol-based hand sanitizer was found open on the kitchen table. Two illustrative case vignettes are presented to highlight the types of chemical exposure calls managed by poison centers.Ī preschool-aged child was found unresponsive at home and transported to the ED via ambulance. Inhalation represented the largest percentage increase from 2019 to 2020 among all exposure routes, with an increase of 35.3% (from 4,713 to 6,379) for all cleaners and an increase of 108.8% (from 569 to 1,188) for all disinfectants. Further analysis of the increase in calls from 2019 to 2020 (3,137 for cleaners, 4,591 for disinfectants), showed that among all cleaner categories, bleaches accounted for the largest percentage of the increase (1,949 62.1%), whereas nonalcohol disinfectants (1,684 36.7%) and hand sanitizers (1,684 36.7%) accounted for the largest percentages of the increase among disinfectant categories. The increase in total calls was seen across all age groups however, exposures among children aged ≤5 years consistently represented a large percentage of total calls in the 3-month study period for each year (range = 39.9%–47.3%) ( Table). The daily number of calls to poison centers increased sharply at the beginning of March 2020 for exposures to both cleaners and disinfectants ( Figure). Although NPDS data do not provide information showing a definite link between exposures and COVID-19 cleaning efforts, there appears to be a clear temporal association with increased use of these products. During January–March 2020, poison centers received 45,550 exposure calls related to cleaners (28,158) and disinfectants (17,392), representing overall increases of 20.4% and 16.4% from January–March 2019 (37,822) and January–March 2018 (39,122), respectively. Call data from poison centers are uploaded in near real-time to NPDS. Fifty-five poison centers in the United States provide free, 24-hour professional advice and medical management information regarding exposures to poisons, chemicals, drugs, and medications. To assess whether there might be a possible association between COVID-19 cleaning recommendations from public health agencies and the media and the number of chemical exposures reported to the National Poison Data System (NPDS), CDC and the American Association of Poison Control Centers surveillance team compared the number of exposures reported for the period January–March 2020 with the number of reports during the same 3-month period in 20. CDC recommends, with precautions, the proper cleaning and disinfection of high-touch surfaces to help mitigate the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 ( 3). As of April 19, a total of 720,630 COVID-19 cases and 37,202 associated deaths* had been reported to CDC from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and four U.S. laboratory-confirmed case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2 ( 1). The app was developed by poison control centers and has been safely used by more than half a million people seeking help for a poison emergency.On January 19, 2020, the state of Washington reported the first U.S. It also guides users who have taken double doses, or doses too close together. Version 3.2 allows users to get answers even if symptoms have already developed and expands the scope of the app beyond swallowed poisons to eye, skin, inhalation and injection exposures, and bites and stings. Often, it’s safe to stay home, but the app will tell you what symptoms to expect and when to call Poison Control or go to an ER. Next tell us whether you have symptoms, and if so, the app will check to see if they are common, expected symptoms, or more serious. A barcode reader allows you to scan the product instead of typing or searching for the product name. Just enter the age, substance, amount taken (if swallowed), weight, and time since the exposure to get an immediate recommendation. ![]() This free, confidential app will guide you. Use the webPOISONCONTROL app to find out if you need to call Poison Control or go to an ER, or what to do if it’s safe to stay home. Get accurate answers prepared by poison control experts. It helps users determine if an exposure is dangerous and requires medical attention.ĭid the baby eat a berry, a flower or a cigarette? Did you take the dog’s medicine? Did your toddler eat pills from grandma’s purse? Did you swallow something that might be poisonous? Did you splash a product in your eye or on your skin? Are you coughing from irritating fumes? Were you bitten by a spider? Did you take a double dose of your medicine? Don’t guess what you should do. The webPOISONCONTROL® mobile app provides expert help for a possible poisoning.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |