Abstract
All COVID-19 prevention strategies include regular use of surface disinfectants and hand sanitisers. As these measures took hold in Croatia, the Croatian Poison Control Centre started receiving phone calls from the general public and healthcare workers, which prompted us to investigate whether the risk of suspected/symptomatic poisonings with disinfectants and sanitisers really increased. To that end we compared their frequency and characteristics in the first half of 2019 and 2020. Cases of exposures to disinfectants doubled in the first half of 2020 (41 vs 21 cases in 2019), and exposure to sanitisers increased about nine times (46 vs 5 cases in 2019). In 2020, the most common ingredients of disinfectants and sanitisers involved in poisoning incidents were hypochlorite/glutaraldehyde, and ethanol/isopropyl alcohol, respectively. Exposures to disinfectants were recorded mostly in adults (56 %) as accidental (78 %) through ingestion or inhalation (86 %). Fortunately, most callers were asymptomatic (people called for advice because they were concerned), but nearly half reported mild gastrointestinal or respiratory irritation, and in one case severe symptoms were reported (gastrointestinal corrosive injury). Reports of exposure to hand sanitisers highlighted preschool children as the most vulnerable group. Accidental exposure through ingestion dominated, but, again, only mild symptoms (gastrointestinal or eye irritation) developed in one third of the cases. These preliminary findings, however limited, confirm that increased availability and use of disinfectants and sanitisers significantly increased the risk of poisoning, particularly in preschool children through accidental ingestion of hand sanitisers. We therefore believe that epidemiological recommendations for COVID-19 prevention should include warnings informing the general public of the risks of poisoning with surface and hand disinfectants in particular.
Highlights
Prevention against COVID-19 infection in households includes regular use of biocidal agents, surface disinfectants and hand sanitisers [1, 2], and regulatory bodies are under increasing pressure to authorise ever more disinfecting and sanitising products
To that effect we relied on actual reports to our Croatian Poison Control Centre (CPCC), which provides consultation services to physicians and general public who report any kind of exposure to toxic agents and suspected or symptomatic poisoning
A small percentage of consultations in both years was related to exposure to disinfectants and hand sanitisers
Summary
Prevention against COVID-19 infection in households includes regular use of biocidal agents, surface disinfectants and hand sanitisers [1, 2], and regulatory bodies are under increasing pressure to authorise ever more disinfecting and sanitising products. To that effect we relied on actual reports to our Croatian Poison Control Centre (CPCC), which provides consultation services to physicians and general public who report any kind of exposure to toxic agents and suspected or symptomatic poisoning. We analysed all records of telephone consultations at the CPCC related to suspected and symptomatic poisonings with disinfectants and sanitisers and compared their frequency in the first six months of 2019 and 2020.
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