The CDC Says There's An Increase In Calls To Poison Control Due To People Putting Bleach On Their Food

I’ve had to call poison control exactly once in my life. I accidentally gave my daughter adult cough medicine when she was two. The bottles were next to each other, and I thought I was grabbing the one for babies. Luckily, it all turned out okay, I just felt like the WORST mom ever.

According to the CDC, there has been a major increase in people calling Poison Control, because they aren’t using bleach correctly.

They are either using it to disinfect their food or themselves. Incidentally, Bleach should NOT be used to disinfect your food OR your skin.

The CDC recently conducted a survey of just over 500 people, and they found out that the average American was careless with cleaning products in response to the coronavirus.

COME ON, America! We are better than this.

The new survey of 502 adults found that 39% admitted to engaging in high-risk activities in an attempt to disinfect their homes. Those activities included washing fruit and vegetables with bleach, intentionally inhaling household cleaners and disinfectants, and applying those products to bare skin.
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Here’s a surprise — the people that were using the cleaning products incorrectly reported they got sick more frequently than those that did not use the products incorrectly. *Eye Roll* — Common Sense, people.

Did you know it’s bad to mix chemicals? I’ll tell you now, so listen up — DO NOT MIX CLEANING CHEMICALS. They can produce poisonous gasses that can make you very sick, and in some cases, damage your lungs!!

Many people who completed the CDC survey were not aware that you were not supposed to mix chemicals together.

“Overall, 23% responded that only room temperature water should be used for preparation of dilute bleach solutions, 35% that bleach should not be mixed with vinegar, and 58% that bleach should not be mixed with ammonia.”
CDC survey

If in doubt — do not mix the substances together. Also, you want to wash your hands after using cleaning products, and use the chemicals in an area that is well ventilated (open windows are a good thing).

This survey identified important knowledge gaps in the safe use of cleaners and disinfectants among U.S. adults; the largest gaps were found in knowledge about safe preparation of cleaning and disinfectant solutions and about storage of hand sanitizers out of the reach of children. Mixing of bleach solutions with vinegar or ammonia, as well as application of heat, can generate chlorine and chloramine gases that might result in severe lung tissue damage when inhaled.
CDC survey

Furthermore, exposures of children to hand sanitizers, particularly via ingestion, can be associated with irritation of mucous membranes, gastrointestinal effects, and in severe cases, alcohol toxicity. The risk of ingestion and consequent toxicity from improperly stored hand sanitizers, cleaners, and disinfectants can also extend to pets.
CDC survey