Be Aware: Patients Are Poisoning Themselves in Greater Numbers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

U.S. poison control centers have seen calls related to cleaning products and disinfectants jump 20% in the first quarter of 2020 compared with 2019, according to data posted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly two-thirds of exposures have been related to bleach, while hand sanitizers and nonalcoholic disinfectants are each at the root of roughly one-third of the calls, each. (The data could reflect exposure to multiple chemicals for any one event.) The increase in events coincides with the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 and advice from the CDC and health departments to clean often-touched surfaces with disinfectants. In addition, it’s been reported in the mainstream media that some patients use toxic substances to “clean” food products; still others have ingested toxic substances in a misinformed effort to prevent or cure infection. Urgent care providers are cautioned to be vigilant for symptoms such as irritated eyes, shortness of breath, sudden onset of cough, headache, dizziness, and fatigue. As these obviously coincide with symptoms of multiple illnesses, including COVID-19, ask patients about their food-cleaning routines and whether they could have ingested any substances used for cleaning purposes.