More reports of children drinking hand alcohol during pandemic

Last year, the number of reports of children accidentally drinking hand alcohol increased significantly compared to previous years. There was also an increase in the number of splash incidents in 2020, where people got disinfectant in their eyes. That reports the National Poisons Information Center (NVIC) Monday in an annual report.

In 2020, the NVIC received a total of 552 reports of “people’s exposures to hand sanitizers”, compared to an average of 107 per year. “People started working from home, had to keep a distance of one and a half meters and often clean their hands with hand alcohol,” the information center writes. As a result, there were also more incidents with disinfectants. Half of the cases involved children between the ages of zero and four years old. A high intake of hand alcohol can lead to poisoning.

Vitamins and drugs
The number of reports of accidentally ingested multivitamin preparations also increased last year. Many people bought it big because stories circulated on the internet that it would help against Covid-19. “This allowed small children to accidentally snack on the colorful tablets and capsules more often,” according to the NVIC. The number of reports rose from an average of 450 per year to 580. “No effect was seen on the number of reports about vitamin D.”

The information center also registered more recreational use of nitrous oxide and the drugs 3-MMC and ketamine. The number of industrial accidents involving chemical substances actually decreased in 2020. The organization received a total of 47,235 telephone inquiries last year about poisonings in 34,093 people and 9,056 animals.

Photo Rob Engelaar / Dutch Height