On January 19, 2020, the state of Washington reported the first U.S. laboratory-confirmed
case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2 (
1
). 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.
territories (
2
). CDC recommends, with precautions, the proper cleaning and disinfection of high-touch
surfaces to help mitigate the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (
3
). 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 2018 and 2019. 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. Call data from poison centers are uploaded
in near real-time to NPDS. 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. 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.
The daily number of calls to poison centers increased sharply at the beginning of
March 2020 for exposures to both cleaners and disinfectants (Figure). 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). 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. 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.
Two illustrative case vignettes are presented to highlight the types of chemical exposure
calls managed by poison centers.
FIGURE
Number of daily exposures to cleaners and disinfectants reported to U.S. poison centers
— United States, January–March 2018, 2019, and 2020*
,†
* Excluding February 29, 2020.
† Increase in exposures to cleaners on January 29, 2020, came from an unintentional
exposure to a cleaning agent within a school.
The figure consists of two side-by-side line graphs, comparing the number of daily
exposures to cleaners and disinfectants reported to U.S. poison centers during January–March
of 2018, 2019, and 2020.
TABLE
Number and percentage of exposures to cleaners and disinfectants reported to U.S.
poison centers, by selected characteristics — United States, January–March 2018, 2019,
and 2020
Characteristic
No. (%)
Cleaners
Disinfectants
2018
2019
2020
2018
2019
2020
Total
25,583 (100.0)
25,021 (100.0)
28,158 (100.0)
13,539 (100.0)
12,801 (100.0)
17,392 (100.0)
Age group (yrs)
0–5
10,926 (42.7)
10,207 (40.8)
10,039 (35.7)
7,588 (56.0)
6,802 (53.1)
8,158 (46.9)
6–19
2,655 (10.4)
2,464 (9.8)
2,516 (8.9)
1,803 (13.3)
1,694 (13.2)
2,358 (13.6)
20–59
8,072 (31.6)
8,203 (32.8)
9,970 (35.4)
2,659 (19.6)
2,791 (21.8)
4,056 (23.3)
≥60
1,848 (7.2)
1,936 (7.7)
2,356 (8.4)
929 (6.9)
848 (6.6)
1,455 (8.4)
Unknown
2,082 (8.1)
2,211 (8.8)
3,277 (11.6)
560 (4.1)
666 (5.2)
1,365 (7.8)
Exposure route*
Ingestion
16,384 (64.0)
15,710 (62.8)
16,535 (58.7)
11,714 (86.5)
10,797 (84.3)
13,993 (80.5)
Inhalation
4,747 (18.6)
4,713 (18.8)
6,379 (22.7)
540 (4.0)
569 (4.4)
1,188 (6.8)
Dermal
4,349 (17.0)
4,271 (17.1)
4,785 (17.0)
1,085 (8.0)
1,078 (8.4)
1,695 (9.7)
Ocular
3,355 (13.1)
3,407 (13.6)
3,802 (13.5)
984 (7.3)
1,067 (8.3)
1,533 (8.8)
Other/Unknown
182 (0.7)
169 (0.7)
166 (0.6)
89 (0.7)
95 (0.7)
147 (0.8)
*Exposure might have more than one route.
Case 1
An adult woman heard on the news to clean all recently purchased groceries before
consuming them. She filled a sink with a mixture of 10% bleach solution, vinegar,
and hot water, and soaked her produce. While cleaning her other groceries, she noted
a noxious smell described as “chlorine” in her kitchen. She developed difficulty breathing,
coughing, and wheezing, and called 911. She was transported to the emergency department
(ED) via ambulance and was noted to have mild hypoxemia and end-expiratory wheezing.
She improved with oxygen and bronchodilators. Her chest radiograph was unremarkable,
and she was discharged after a few hours of observation.
Case 2
A preschool-aged child was found unresponsive at home and transported to the ED via
ambulance. A 64-ounce bottle of ethanol-based hand sanitizer was found open on the
kitchen table. According to her family, she became dizzy after ingesting an unknown
amount, fell and hit her head. She vomited while being transported to the ED, where
she was poorly responsive. Her blood alcohol level was elevated at 273 mg/dL (most
state laws define a limit of 80 mg/dL for driving under the influence); neuroimaging
did not indicate traumatic injuries. She was admitted to the pediatric intensive care
unit overnight, had improved mental status, and was discharged home after 48 hours.
The findings in this report are subject to at least two limitations. First, NPDS data
likely underestimate the total incidence and severity of poisonings, because they
are limited to persons calling poison centers for assistance. Second, data on the
direct attribution of these exposures to efforts to prevent or treat COVID-19 are
not available in NPDS. Although a causal association cannot be demonstrated, the timing
of these reported exposures corresponded to increased media coverage of the COVID-19
pandemic, reports of consumer shortages of cleaning and disinfection products (
4
), and the beginning of some local and state stay-at-home orders.
Exposures to cleaners and disinfectants reported to NPDS increased substantially in
early March 2020. Associated with increased use of cleaners and disinfectants is the
possibility of improper use, such as using more than directed on the label, mixing
multiple chemical products together, not wearing protective gear, and applying in
poorly ventilated areas. To reduce improper use and prevent unnecessary chemical exposures,
users should always read and follow directions on the label, only use water at room
temperature for dilution (unless stated otherwise on the label), avoid mixing chemical
products, wear eye and skin protection, ensure adequate ventilation, and store chemicals
out of the reach of children.