Covid-19: Accidental chemical poisonings surge as children eat hand sanitiser and public clean food in bleach

Accidental chemical poisonings have surged amid the coronavirus pandemic, as misinformation and heightened demand for hand sanitisers and disinfectants has led to inappropriate use.

Speaking at a World Health Organization event on Tuesday, experts warned that poison health centres across the globe have reported a significant spike in calls.

One facility in Chile reported a 60 per cent rise in cases in March and April compared with the same period last year, while the US’s national poison data system has reported a 20 per cent increase in calls related to disinfectant exposure.

“We quite quickly realised that there were some chemical issues arising from the outbreak,” said Joanna Tempowski, from the WHO’s unit of chemical safety and health.

“Alcohol-based hand sanitiser is found very widely in people’s homes, and this has been associated with an increase in accidental ingestion by children. And also in care homes by elderly and confused residents - these products are around and out on the counter, so they are easy to access,” she added.

But there has also been widespread misuse of cleaning products, driven by anxiety around cleanliness amid the pandemic.

Ms Tempowski said that some people have been hospitalised after mixing cleaning products, for instance bleach combined with vinegar, resulting in the generation of toxic gases including chlorine. Others have used bleach to clean their skin, or ingested it in an attempt to kill the virus.

And according to a US Centres for Disease Control survey, almost 40 per cent of Americans are engaging in unsafe practices - including washing food with bleach.

All of these measures are unsafe and could have significant health repercussions but myths persist online, while influential figures have also pedalled misinformation.

In April Donald Trump insisted his suggestion that people with Covid-19 could be treated with injections of disinfectant was “sarcastic” after a heated backlash. The President has also come under fire for his insistence that the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine can prevent a coronavirus infection.

Tragically in March a man died and a woman was hospitalised after swallowing fish tank cleaner containing chloroquine phosphate, which is extremely toxic and should never be ingested, after hearing Mr Trump’s comments on the treatment.

Ms Tempowski said misinformation about hydroxychloroquine has led to numerous poisonings across countries in Africa, as well as the US.

But she also pointed to widespread theory circulating in Iran that drinking methanol can kill the virus - more than 700 people accidentally died after drinking toxic alcohol, while at least 90 blinded themselves or damaged their vision.

“This has put an additional strain on health systems,” added Francesca Racioppi, head of the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health. “Not only are they fighting against Covid, now they are also called to support patients who were accidentally poisoned.”

But misuse and misinformation has also been exacerbated by surging demand, which has caused new manufacturers to enter the market. Many of these companies previously made other alcohol-based products, including perfumes or drinks, and are less familiar with stringent regulations.

“There have been reports of non traditional manufacturers using non approved alcohol products such as technical grade ethanol that contains a number of contaminants, or even methanol, to formulate their products,” said Ms Tempowski.

She added that in some cases, companies have also repurposed existing containers to package hand sanitiser - for instance in Canada, sanitiser has been sold in wine and spirit bottles.

“You can immediately see where the dangers are,” said Ms Tempowski. “Repursing of existing packaging is inappropriate packaging and labelling of products which increases the risk of accidental poisoning.”

During the event, experts also expressed concern about the health and environmental consequences of spraying or fumigating public places - a measure unlikely to be effective as dirt and debris inactivates disinfectant.

There has also been a rise in injuries in chemical factories that have been either incorrectly shut down or reopened, Ms Tempowski said.

In one incident in India, 13 died and 1,000 were hospitalised after styrene gas reportedly leaked from two tanks which had been left unattended for over 40 days because of the coronavirus lockdown.

“Chemical factories can’t just shut down and start up again, it has to be planned. There have been at least three incidents in India and also one in Italy where procedures and planning was not carried out adequately,” Ms Tempowski said.

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