Statistics

Poison hazard risks and statistics

A list of statistics from various sources citing the risks or poison exposure in the home and their association with common household cleaning products.

• In 2006, poison control centers reported about 2.4 million incidents where people were exposed to poison. About 85% of these exposures were unintentional, and more than 92% occurred in the home. Just over half the poison exposures reported to poison control centers affect children younger than six years; exposures in this group commonly involve cosmetics and personal care products, cleaning substances, pain relievers, topical medications, foreign bodies, cough and cold preparations, and plants. Adult exposures often include pain relievers, sedatives, or cleaning substances. -- Centers for Disease Control
• 218,316 reported poison exposures in 2005 were from household cleaning products. -- Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poisoning and Exposure Database (2005)
• 121,498 children under the age of 6 were poisoned by household cleaners last year. More than one out of every 6 poison exposures in 2005 from non-pharmaceutical substances was attributed to household cleaning substances; with 56% attributed to children under the age of 6. -- Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poisoning and Exposure Database (2005)
• Bleach is the number one household chemical involved in poisoning. Hypochlorite (bleach) was the source of 54,433 poisonings in 2005; 25% of the total exposures from household cleaning substances and the cause of 8 deaths. -- Annual Report of the American
• More than 7 million accidental poisonings occur each year, with more than 75% involving children under age 6! -- The Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons
• According to the U.S. Poison Control Centers, "A child is accidentally poisoned every 30 seconds at home..." The Average American Uses about 25 Gallons of toxic, hazardous chemical products per year in their home... A major portion of these can be found in household cleaning products. -- "Prosperity Without Pollution," by Joel S. Hirschorn and Kirsten V. Oldenburg, 1991
• Women who work at home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than those who work away from home. The 15-year study concluded it was as a direct result of the much higher exposure rate to toxic chemicals in common household products! -- Toronto Indoor Air Conference 1990