POISONING BY HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS IN CHILDREN

Abstract

Children are the main victims of intoxication, considering that, with child development, especially between one and four years of age, they learn to walk and acquire agility, reaching objects and bringing them to the mouth. The objective of this study was to review the literature on exogenous intoxications by chemical products used in households in children in Brazil. Household cleaning products are the second leading cause of poisoning in domestic environments, preceded only by the accidental ingestion of medication. From 2017 to 2021, 128,794 exogenous intoxications resulting from exposure to toxic agents were recorded in the age group from zero to 14 years in Brazil. Among this total of exogenous intoxications, 18,733 reports of poisoning by household products were registered, representing 14.54% of the total of exogenous intoxications. Intoxication records in Brazil increased by up to 23%, from January to April 2021, compared to the same period in 2019. This is because the world is facing the COVID-19 pandemic, in which hygiene products are being commercialized for cleaning and antisepsis of domestic environments, which led to an intensification of accidents caused by these chemical materials. Therefore, it is concluded that the rate of exogenous intoxication by domestic chemical products is high in children, especially in the age group of zero to five years. It is also worth mentioning that with the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a greater consumption of chemical products for domestic use and, consequently, an increase in the number of poisonings by these products in children. Therefore, it is evident the need to adopt actions to avoid these accidents to reduce the poisoning rate by these toxic agents.