This archive report was first published on 6 May 2020.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, Canadians are taking extreme measures to prevent infection, but in the process, they are putting themselves at risk of poisoning.
According to Health Canada, the number of reported exposure to cleaning chemicals and disinfectants increased by 58% in February and March compared to the same period in 2019.
Health Canada attributes the rise to people isolating at home and stockpiling cleaning products, leading to a surge in calls to poison control centres. In March, calls related to hand sanitizers, disinfectants, and bleach jumped by 103% compared to last year.
Complaints include burning eyes and breathing problems after extensive cleaning, as well as children drinking hand sanitizer. In a disturbing case, a woman mixed vinegar and chlorine bleach to clean her kitchen counter, resulting in her being hospitalized due to inhaling high volumes of fumes.
"In more serious cases, that could be fatal," said Jim Chan, a health consultant and retired City of Toronto public health inspector.
Meanwhile, a Toronto mother, Kate Wallace, has stepped up her cleaning habits with bleach to prevent the spread of the virus, but has taken precautions to keep her children away from toxic chemicals.
Canada's official COVID-19 figures show 62,046 confirmed cases and 4,043 deaths.
Warnings about lockdown-related poisoning come after three men in the US drank liquid cleaning products after Donald Trump's comments on using disinfectants to treat COVID-19. The US president later clarified that his comments were "sarcastic".
Reckitt Benckiser, the manufacturer of Dettol and Lysol, reported a 13.3% hike in like-for-like sales growth in the first quarter to £3.5 billion, driven by surging demand for disinfectants and health remedies amid the pandemic.
